Openings
- Chess Atlas Subsections
- VOL. I • Chess HistoryFrom Chaturanga to Neural Engines
- VOL. II • Classic ChessPieces, Notation & Rules
- VOL. III • Legendary PlayersPantheon of Chess Immortals
- VOL. IV • Great GamesInteractive game studies
- VOL. V • OpeningsOriginal CAISSORA Opening Articles
- VOL. VI • Tactics & StrategyForks, Pins & Board Geometry
Fried Fox Defense
The king steps out first, hoping you are not ready
- Offbeat
After 1.e4 f6 2.d4 Black plays 2…Kf7: the king leaves e8 and gives up castling. The f6 pawn takes the best square from the knight, and the king on f7 is open to checks. This is a curiosity: the opening banks on the opponent being unprepared and shows up mostly in blitz. It breaks the basic rules of development and is regarded as bad.
2…Kf7
Moves
(4 plies • 2 moves)- 1–2moves
- 1.
- 2.
Defining move
2…Kf7 — the king does its own castling
The move that defines this opening
The king walks off e8 by himself, but it is no safer: on f7 it can be hit by the checks Bc4+ and Qh5+. Black can no longer castle, and the bishop and knight are cramped by the f6 pawn. For this one move Black gets only the hope of confusion.
Tabiya
The king on f7, the centre in White's hands
Black has lost castling, and the king stands on the diagonals where White's bishop and queen can strike. White has the centre and the freedom to develop with tempo. Black must close the diagonals and bring out the pieces without letting White attack the king.
White’s plan
- Develop with tempo: Bc4+ and Nf3, never letting the king hide.
- Hold the centre with the e4 and d4 pawns and keep the diagonals open.
- Castle long and push the pawns on the kingside, if desired.
Black’s plan
- Close the check diagonals with …e6 or …d5.
- Bring the knights out to h6 and c6, as f6 is taken by its own pawn.
- Strike at the centre with …e5 or …d5 and hope White is unprepared.
Games in the Atlas
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