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ECO B06Semi-open game

Modern Defense

Let them build, then take it apart

  • Fianchetto
  • Big pawn centre
  • Hypermodern

Black answers 1.e4 with 1…g6 and lets White put pawns on d4 and e4. The g7 bishop watches that centre from a distance, while the c-, b-, d- and e-pawns prepare to hit it. Black deliberately holds back the f6 knight, which keeps several plans open. It suits players who like complicated manoeuvring play and accept some cramp for the sake of a counterattack.

Interactive Opening Board

6…Nd7

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Black
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White
6…Nd7
Speed:

Moves

(12 plies • 6 moves)
6…Nd7Tabiya

The knight goes to d7, not f6. It supports e5 and c5 and does not block the c8 bishop. Black can still choose …Ngf6, …c5 or …e5.

  1. 1–6moves
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  7. 6.

Defining move

1…g6 — the invitation to the centre

The move that starts a defence built on pieces rather than pawns

Most replies to 1.e4 fight for the centre with pawns: …e5, …c5, …d5, …e6. Here Black does the opposite. A pawn goes to g6, a bishop to g7, and White is allowed pawns on d4 and e4. Then the bishop, the wing pawns and the pieces hit that centre. For White it becomes a target rather than an asset.

Tabiya

The …a6 and …b5 system

White has taken the centre and castled. Black has not committed: there is no knight on f6 yet, and neither …c5 nor …e5 has been played. But Black already has space on the queenside, and the g7 bishop presses along the long diagonal. White wants to use the centre, for instance with d5, and to stop Black's pieces from coming into play. Black waits for the moment to hit d4 or e4.

The centre

A broad white centre against strikes from the wings

White has pawns on d4 and e4 and they can advance. Black has pawns on g6 and d6 and on the wing, a6 and b5. Black leaves the central pawns alone on purpose: the task is to undermine White's centre and play …c5 or …e5 at the right moment.

Key squaresd4e5g7b5

Outposts

  • g7Black's bishop

    This is the key piece of the defence. As long as the bishop lives and watches the centre, White has no quiet life. That is why White sometimes plays c3 to shut its diagonal.

  • d4The anchor of White's centre

    The d4 pawn holds the whole white set-up, and the g7 bishop presses on it from the first moves. If White pushes it to d5, the d4 square goes to a knight.

Thematic breaks

  • b5Black

    The …b7-b5 strike

    Seize space on the queenside and give the bishop the b7 square.

    What follows: Black gets play of their own on the queenside, and the b7 bishop joins the g7 bishop in pressing on White's centre.

  • e5Black

    The …e7-e5 strike

    Hit d4 and open the game before White can consolidate the centre.

    What follows: If White takes on e5, the g7 bishop comes alive. If White closes the centre with d5, Black takes the game to the wings.

  • d5White

    The d4-d5 advance

    Close the centre, take Black's room and free d4 for a knight.

    What follows: The game turns into manoeuvring: a knight heads for d4, and Black has to pick a new plan before White settles in.

White’s plan

  • Develop and castle without giving Black easy targets in the centre.
  • Use the space: d4-d5 or a pawn advance on the kingside.
  • Keep the g7 bishop out of the game: play c3, close the diagonal or trade the bishop.

Black’s plan

  • Do not rush the f6 knight: keep the choice between …Nd7, …Ngf6 and …Nc6.
  • Prepare the strikes …c5 or …e5 and undermine the d4 and e4 pawns.
  • Play …a6, …b5 and …Bb7 and create threats on the queenside.

History

The idea comes from hypermodernism, whose leading figure was Aron Nimzowitsch: one can hold the centre from a distance and turn the opponent's pawns into targets. Karl Robatsch revived and popularised the defence, and it was long called by his name. Duncan Suttles was one of its chief champions in the 1970s, and the Swedish grandmaster Tiger Hillarp Persson gave his name to the line with …a6. Magnus Carlsen has used it too.

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