Owen's Defence (also known as the Queen's Fianchetto Defence ) is an uncommon chess opening defined by the moves:
68-429: By playing 1...b6, Black prepares to fianchetto the queen's bishop where it will participate in the battle for the centre . The downside of this plan is that White can occupy the centre with pawns and gain a spatial advantage . Moreover, 1...b6 does not prepare kingside castling as 1...g6 does, and it is harder for Black to augment their pressure against the centre with ...f5, which weakens
136-443: A pawn centre , which Black immediately challenges by attacking the pawn on e4. The same position can be reached by transposition from a Queen's Pawn Game after 1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 or the declining of a Blackmar–Diemer Gambit after 1.d4 d5 2.e4 e6. White's options include defending the e4-pawn with 3.Nc3 or 3.Nd2, advancing it with 3.e5, or exchanging it with 3.exd5, each of which leads to different types of positions. Defending
204-473: A long fianchetto . The b-pawn also controls the c4-square, which is often advantageous. If White plays the King's Indian Attack 1.Nf3 2.g3, Black may play a long queenside fianchetto to oppose White's bishop and make it more difficult for White to play a c4 pawn break . A long fianchetto on the kingside is more rarely played, because it weakens the pawn shield in front of the castled position and controls
272-582: A branching point: There are alternative strategies to 3...c5 that were tried in the early 20th century such as 3...b6, intending to fianchetto the bad bishop and which can transpose to Owen's Defence . Also possible is 4...Qb6 5.Nf3 Bd7 intending 6...Bb5 to trade off the "bad" queen's bishop. Playing 3...Nc6 is a misguided attempt to reach the Hecht Reefschlager Variation or the Guimard Variation. Many players who begin with 1.e4 find that
340-425: A clear conscience, for not even the most hypermodern pair of masters can produce more than four fianchettoed Bishops!" Bibliography French Defence The French Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves: This is most commonly followed by 2.d4 d5. Black usually plays ...c5 soon after, attacking White's pawn centre and gaining space on the queenside . The French has
408-420: A different move order: 3.Nd2 dxe4. White has freer development and more space in the centre, which Black intends to neutralise by playing ...c7–c5 at some point. This solid line has undergone a modest revival, featuring in many grandmaster (GM) games as a drawing weapon but theory still gives White a slight edge. After 3...dxe4 4.Nxe4, Black has the following options: 3...Nc6 is the Hecht Reefschlager Variation,
476-565: A less important square. Nevertheless, Grob's Attack 1.g4 and the Borg Defence ("Grob" backwards) 1.e4 g5 ?! are sometimes played by players such as IM Michael Basman . White's queen bishop has moved to a3 in what is sometimes called an extended fianchetto . Rather than control the long diagonal, it takes aim at Black's f8-square. If Black moves his e-pawn, White can play Bxf8, after which Black will have to waste time on artificial castling after recapturing with his king. This tactic
544-471: A name coined by John Watson . This sideline has been played by Aron Nimzowitsch and many other players. One rare sideline after 3.Nc3 is 3...c6, which is known as the Paulsen Variation, after Louis Paulsen . It can also be reached via a Caro–Kann Defence move order (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 e6). The Tarrasch Variation is named after Siegbert Tarrasch . This move became particularly popular during
612-704: A normal Sicilian Defence , and 3.c3, transposing into a line of the Alapin Sicilian (usually arrived at after 1.e4 c5 2.c3 e6 3.d4) are also common. Play may also lead back to the French; for example, 1.e4 e6 2.d4 c5 3.c3 d5 4.e5 transposes into the Advance Variation . Another move is 2...b6, which transposes into Owen's Defence or the English Defence . Also possible is 2...f5, the Franco-Hiva Gambit, but this
680-477: A pawn". 13. Ra3 0-0 14. Rg3 f5 15. Bd5 Rf6? Better is 15...Bxd5!? 16.Qxd5+ Rf7 17.Nh5 with a strong attack. 16. Re1 Bxd5 17. Qxd5+ Rf7 18. Nh5 g6 19. Bh6 Nc6 20. Rge3 (see diagram) 1–0 White threatens both 21.Rxe7! Nxe7 22.Nf6+ Kh8 23.Qxf7 and 21.Nf6+! Bxf6 (21...Kh8 22.Qxf7) 22.Re8+. On 20...gxh5, 21.Rg3+ wins; 20...Bf8 21.Re8 gxh5 23.Bxf8!; 20...Ra8 21.Rxe7! Nxe7 and now either 22.Rxe7 Qxe7 23.Qxa8+ or 22.Nf6+ Kh8 23.Qxf7 wins. Fianchetto In chess ,
748-427: A piece attack, White may play for the advance of the kingside pawns (an especially common idea in the endgame), which usually involves f2–f4, g2–g4 and then f4–f5 to use the spatial advantage on that side of the board. A white pawn on f5 can be very strong as it may threaten to capture on e6 or advance to f6. Sometimes pushing the h-pawn to h5 or h6 may also be effective. A modern idea is for White to gain space on
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#1732852098317816-518: A position more commonly reached by 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.Nc3 e6. 4. Bd3 Nf6 5. Nge2 c5 6. d5! a6 6...exd5 7.exd5 Nxd5 8.Nxd5 Bxd5 9.Nf4 Bc6 (9...Be6 ? 10.Be4 wins; 9...Qe7+!?) 10.Bc4! "gives White strong pressure". 7. a4 exd5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 Bxd5 10. Nf4 Be6 11. Be4 Ra7 12. 0-0 Be7 Watson and Schiller also give 12...g6 13.a5! as favoring White after 13...bxa5 14.Bd2 or 13...b5 14.Be3 d6 15.b4 Be7 16.Nxe6 fxe6 17.Qg4 Qc8 18.bxc5 dxc5 19.Bh6, intending Rad1, Rfe1, and h4–h5 "with great pressure for just
884-642: A position resembling those arising from the Rubinstein Variation. However, here Black has the bishop pair, with greater dynamic chances (although White's knight is well placed on e4), so this line is more popular than the Rubinstein and has long been a favourite of Evgeny Bareev . Black can also try 5...Be7 6.Bxf6 gxf6, as played by Alexander Morozevich and Gregory Kaidanov ; by following up with ...f5 and ...Bf6, Black obtains active piece play in return for his shattered pawn structure. Another line that resembles
952-546: A reputation for solidity and resilience, although some lines such as the Winawer Variation can lead to sharp complications. Black's position is often somewhat cramped in the early game; in particular, the pawn on e6 can impede the development of the bishop on c8. Following the opening moves 1.e4 e6, the main line of the French Defence continues 2.d4 d5 (see below for alternatives). White sets up
1020-399: Is 3...Nc6 !? 4.Nf3 Nf6 with the idea of 5.e5 Ne4; German IM Helmut Reefschlaeger has been fond of this move. It is incredibly dense in theory. This variation, named after Szymon Winawer and pioneered by Nimzowitsch and Botvinnik, is one of the main systems in the French, due chiefly to the latter's efforts in the 1940s, becoming the most often seen rejoinder to 3.Nc3, though in the 1980s,
1088-494: Is 8.Nxd4 Bc5 9. Qd2 Bxd4 10.Bxd4 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 Qb6 12.Qxb6 Nxb6, This line has been referred to as the Vacuum Cleaner Variation. In these lines, White has the option of playing either Qd2 and 0-0-0, or Be2 and 0-0, with the former typically leading to sharper positions due to opposite-side castling when Black castles kingside in both cases. This variation is named after Akiba Rubinstein and can also arise from
1156-508: Is another major system in the French. This position was seen as so normal so no-one thought about claiming it. White can continue with the following options: White threatens 5.e5, attacking the pinned knight. Black has a number of ways to meet this threat. Named after Amos Burn , the Burn Variation is the most common reply at the top level. 4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 and usually there now follows: 5...Be7 6.Bxf6 Bxf6 7.Nf3 Nd7 or 7...0-0, resulting in
1224-474: Is by far the most common type of fianchetto, seen in the Sicilian Dragon , Pirc Defence , Modern Defence , Modern Benoni , Grünfeld Defence , Nimzo-Indian , and King's Indian Defence , among other openings. The regular fianchetto of both bishops by a player is called a double fianchetto . Black's queen bishop is also fianchettoed, but the knight pawn has moved forward two squares, making this
1292-417: Is cramping Black's position. In the unlikely case that the flank attack ...c7–c5 is insufficient to achieve counterplay, Black can also try ...f7–f6. In many positions, White may support the pawn on e5 by playing f2–f4, with ideas of f4–f5, but the primary drawback to the advance of the f-pawn is opening of the g1–a7 diagonal, which is particularly significant due to the black queen's oft-found position on b6 and
1360-425: Is less developed than that of other openings. This makes it attractive to some players, since their opponents will often be ill-prepared for it and hence forced to think for themselves. GM Christian Bauer observes: To be honest, I don't think Black can equalise as quickly with 1...b6 as he sometimes does in standard openings, and he may suffer against a well-prepared opponent. Then again, the well-prepared opponent
1428-507: Is now readily answered by 4.c3. On the other hand, 3.Nd2 develops the knight to an arguably less active square than 3.Nc3, and in addition, it hems in White's dark-square bishop. Hence, White will typically have to spend an extra tempo moving the knight from d2 at some point before developing said bishop. The main line of the Advance Variation continues 3...c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 and then we have
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#17328520983171496-788: Is often seen in the Evans Gambit and gives the Benko Gambit much of its bite. Black often plays ...Ba6 in the French Defence , and in the Queen's Indian Defence if White plays g3 in order to fianchetto his own bishop ( Aron Nimzowitsch 's move against the classical main line ). The game Rubinstein – Nimzowitsch , Marienbad 1925, had four fianchettoed bishops, two developed knights, and two on their home squares. In this position, Nimzowitsch humorously pointed out in My System : "Each side castles now with
1564-818: Is rare for such marginal variations as 1...b6, and in any case, with reasonable play I'm sure White can't get more than a slight advantage from the opening – a risk everyone is running as Black , aren't they? After 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 the mainline has historically been 3.Bd3 e6 4.Nf3 (4.c4 would transpose to the English Defence ) c5 5.c3 (see diagram), after which MCO-15 gives clear advantage to White after either: 5…Nf6 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.a3! d5 8.e5 Nfd7 9.b4 Be7 10.0-0 0-0 11.Re1 or 5...cxd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.Qe2 d5 9.e5 Ne4 10.0-0!? Bxc3 11.bxc3 Nxc3 12.Qe3 Nc6 13.Bb2 Ne4 14.Ba3 Adams –Vanderwaeren, Moscow Olympiad 1994). GM John Shaw has suggested that White may fare even better by opting for 5.Nc3 after which Black has little option but to play ...cxd4 (either immediately or in
1632-453: Is regarded as dubious. The French Defence is named after a match played by correspondence between the cities of London and Paris in 1834 (although earlier examples of games with the opening do exist). It was Jacques Chamouillet , one of the players of the Paris team, who persuaded the others to adopt this defence. As a reply to 1.e4, the French Defence received relatively little attention in
1700-607: Is to delay direct occupation of the centre with the plan of undermining and destroying the opponent's occupied centre. It also regularly occurs in Indian defences . The fianchetto is less common in Open Games (1.e4 e5), but the king bishop is sometimes fianchettoed by Black in the Ruy Lopez or by White in an uncommon variation of the Vienna Game . One of the major benefits of
1768-505: Is unclear, but most likely Black would be considered "comfortable" here. The purpose behind 7.a4 is threefold: it prepares Bc1–a3, taking advantage of the absence of Black's dark-square bishop. It also prevents Black from playing ...Qa5–a4 or ...Bd7–a4 attacking c2, and if Black plays ...b6 (followed by ...Ba6 to trade off the bad bishop), White may play a5 to attack the b6-pawn. World Champions Vasily Smyslov and Bobby Fischer both used this line with success. White also has 7.h4, which has
1836-431: Is why, for many years, the classical lines fell out of favour, and 3...Bb4 began to be seen more frequently after World War I , owing to the efforts of Nimzowitsch and Botvinnik . In Tarrasch–Teichmann, White won after 41 moves. In order to avoid this fate, Black usually makes it a priority early in the game to find a useful post for the bishop. Black can play ...Bd7–a4 to attack a pawn on c2, which occurs in many lines of
1904-631: The Hippopotamus Defence by playing 3...g6 and 4...Bg7, attaining a double fianchetto formation. This approach was used by GM Boris Spassky in games 12 and 16 of his 1966 World Championship match against the then World Champion Tigran Petrosian ; Spassky drew both games. It had been developed and played by the Slovakian International Master Maximilian Ujtelky a few years before this. If White plays 3.Bd3 g6 4.f4 Andrew Martin considers 4...f5! to be strong, citing
1972-468: The Petroff . Conversely, if White declines to do this, Black may play ...c7–c5 himself, e.g. 4.Bd3 c5, as in the above-cited Tatai–Korchnoi game. If c2–c4 is not played, White and Black have two main piece setups. White may put his pieces on Nf3, Bd3, Bg5 (pinning the black knight), Nc3, Qd2 or the queen's knight can go to d2 instead and White can support the centre with c3 and perhaps play Qb3. Conversely, when
2040-598: The Queen's Gambit Declined ). Although 2...d5 is the most consistent move after 1.e4 e6 2.d4, Black occasionally plays other moves. Chief among them is 2...c5, the Franco-Benoni Defence , so-called because it features the ...c7–c5 push characteristic of the Benoni Defence . White may continue 3.d5, when play can transpose into the Benoni, though White has extra options since c2–c4 is not mandated. 3.Nf3, transposing into
2108-453: The fianchetto ( English: / ˌ f i ə n ˈ k ɛ t oʊ / or / ˌ f i ə n ˈ tʃ ɛ t oʊ / ; Italian: [fjaŋˈketto] "little flank") is a pattern of development wherein a bishop is developed to the second rank of the adjacent b- or g- file , the knight pawn having been moved one or two squares forward. The fianchetto is a staple of many " hypermodern " openings , whose philosophy
Owen's Defence - Misplaced Pages Continue
2176-433: The 1970s and early 1980s when Anatoly Karpov used it to great effect. Though less aggressive than the alternate 3.Nc3, it is still used by top-level players seeking a small, safe advantage. Like 3.Nc3, 3.Nd2 protects e4, but is different in several key respects: it does not block White's c-pawn from advancing, which means he can play c3 at some point to support his d4-pawn. Hence, it avoids the Winawer Variation as 3...Bb4
2244-498: The Classical Variation with 3...Nf6 began a revival, and has since become more popular. 3...Bb4 pins the knight on c3, forcing White to resolve the central tension. White normally clarifies the central situation for the moment with 4.e5, gaining space and hoping to show that Black's b4-bishop is misplaced. The main line then is: 4...c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3, resulting in the diagrammed position. While White has doubled pawns on
2312-476: The French Defence is the most difficult opening for them to play against due to the closed structure and unique strategies of the system. Thus, many players choose to play the Exchange so that the position becomes simpler and more clearcut. White makes no effort to exploit the advantage of the first move, and has often chosen this line with expectation of an early draw, and indeed draws often occur if neither side breaks
2380-688: The Mega Database 2007, in 2006, 1...e6 was second only to the Sicilian in popularity. Historically important contributors to the theory of the defence include Mikhail Botvinnik , Viktor Korchnoi , Akiba Rubinstein , Aron Nimzowitsch , Tigran Petrosian , Lev Psakhis , Wolfgang Uhlmann and Rafael Vaganian . More recently, its leading practitioners include Evgeny Bareev , Alexey Dreev , Mikhail Gurevich , Alexander Khalifman , Smbat Lputian , Alexander Morozevich , Teimour Radjabov , Nigel Short , Gata Kamsky , and Yury Shulman . The Exchange Variation
2448-572: The Rubinstein is 5...Nbd7 6.Nf3 Be7 (6...h6 is also tried) 7.Nxf6+ Bxf6. Named after Wilhelm Steinitz , the Steinitz Variation continues with 4.e5 Nfd7. Here 5.Nce2, the Shirov – Anand Variation, prepares to bolster the white pawn centre with c2–c3 and f2–f4; while 5.Nf3 transposes to a position also reached via the Two Knights Variation (2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.d4). The main line of
2516-518: The Steinitz is 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3. (Instead 7.Ne2 transposes to the Shirov–Anand Variation, while 7.Be2 ? cxd4 8.Nxd4 Ndxe5! 9.fxe5 Qh4+ wins a pawn for Black.) Here Black may step up the pressure on d4 by playing 7...Qb6 or 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Qb6, begin queenside play with 7...a6 8.Qd2 b5, or continue kingside development by playing 7...Be7 or 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5. Another side-line for 7...cxd4
2584-741: The Winawer Variation. If Black's f-pawn has moved to f6, then Black may also consider bringing the bishop to g6 or h5 via d7 and e8. If White's light-square bishop is on the f1–a6 diagonal, Black can try to exchange it by playing ...b6 and ...Ba6, or ...Qb6 followed by ...Bd7–b5. Played in over 40% of all games after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5, 3.Nc3 is the most commonly seen line against the French. Black has three main options, 3...Bb4 (the Winawer Variation ), 3...Nf6 (the Classical Variation ), and 3...dxe4 (the Rubinstein Variation ). An eccentric idea
2652-527: The centre of the board after ...Bxc5. White usually tries to exploit the extra space on the kingside , often playing for a mating attack. White tries to do this in the Alekhine –Chatard Attack, for example. Another example is the following line of the Classical French: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.f4 0-0 8.Nf3 c5 9.Bd3 ( diagram ). White's light-square bishop eyes
2720-472: The diagrammed position was reached after fifteen moves of a Classical French. Black's position is passive because the light-square bishop is hemmed in by pawns on a6, b5, d5, e6 and f7. White will probably try to exchange Black's knight, which is the only one of Black's pieces that has any scope. Although it might be possible for Black to hold on for a draw , it is not easy and, barring any mistakes by White, Black will have few chances to create counterplay; this
2788-476: The diagrammed position, Black most frequently plays 6...Ne7 (The main alternative is 6...Qc7, which can simply transpose to main lines after 7.Qg4 Ne7, but Black also has the option of 7.Qg4 f5 or ...f6. 6...Qa5 has recently become a popular alternative). Now White can exploit the absence of Black's dark-square bishop by playing 7.Qg4, giving Black two choices: he may sacrifice his kingside pawns with 7...Qc7 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 cxd4 but destroy White's centre in return,
Owen's Defence - Misplaced Pages Continue
2856-421: The fianchetto is that it often allows the fianchettoed bishop to become more active. A fianchettoed position, however, also presents some opportunities for the opponent: if the fianchettoed bishop can be exchanged , the squares the bishop was formerly protecting will become weak (see hole ) and can form the basis of an attack (particularly if the fianchetto was performed on the kingside ). Exchanging
2924-419: The fianchettoed bishop should not be done lightly, therefore, especially if the enemy bishop on same-coloured squares is still on the board. The diagram shows three different sorts of fianchetti (not from an actual game, but as examples collapsed into a single diagram). White's king bishop is in a regular fianchetto, with the knight pawn advanced one square and the bishop occupying the long diagonal . This
2992-718: The game Serpik–Blatny, U.S. Open 2003. After 1. e4 b6 2. d4 Bb7 3. Bd3 , the direct 3...f5? is "simply suicidal" according to Bauer. In the 17th century Greco had already given the line 4. exf5! Bxg2 5. Qh5+ g6 6. fxg6 (see diagram) Nf6 ?? 7. gxh7+ Nxh5 8. Bg6#. A better move for Black is 6...Bg7 , but White is winning after 7.Qf5! Nf6 8.Bh6 !! , or the "clearer" 7.gxh7+ Kf8 8.Nf3! Nf6 (8...Bxf3? 9.Qxf3+ Nf6 10.Qxa8; 8...Bxh1 9.Ne5 Bxe5 10.dxe5 Bd5 11.hxg8=Q+ Kxg8 12.Qg6+ Kf8 13.Bh6+) 9.Qg6 Bxf3 (9...Bxh1 10.Bh6 Rxh7 11.Ng5 Bxh6 12.Nxh7+ Nxh7 13.Qxh6+) 10.Rg1 Rxh7 11.Qg3! Be4 12.Bxe4 Nxe4 13.Qf3+ Kg8 14.Qxe4 with an extra pawn and safer king for White. After 1.e4 b6 2.d4, instead of 2...Bb7,
3060-414: The heavy pressure on d4. In addition, many French Advance lines do not provide White with the time to play f2–f4 as it does not support the heavily pressured d4-pawn. For instance, 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.f4? (if White plays Nf3, f4 will come much slower) 5...Qb6 6.Nf3 Nh6! and the knight will go to f5 to place fatal pressure on d4 and dxc5 will never be an option as the white king would be stuck in
3128-414: The highest levels. It is also a popular choice at the club level due to the availability of a simple, straightforward plan involving attacking chances and extra space. The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings includes an alphanumeric classification system for openings that is widely used in chess literature. Codes C00 to C19 are the French Defence, broken up in the following way (all apart from C00 start with
3196-483: The ideas of either pushing this pawn to h6 to cause more dark-square weaknesses in the Black kingside (if Black meets h5 with ...h6, White can play g4–g5), or getting the rook into the game via Rh3–g3. Black can also gain attacking chances in most lines: against 7.Qg4, Black will attack White's king in the centre; whereas against the other lines, Black can often gain an attack with ...0-0-0, normally combined with ...c4 to close
3264-522: The kingside, than it is to play the corresponding move ...c5 after 1...g6. Owen's Defence accordingly has a dubious reputation. Owen's Defence is classified as code B00 by the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings . The 17th-century writings of Gioachino Greco contain three games featuring 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7. The first master strength player to employ 1.e4 b6 on a regular basis was the 19th-century vicar and strong amateur chess player John Owen , after whom
3332-593: The most frequently played continuation here is 4.Qe2 e6 5.Nf3 d5 6.e5 Nfd7 7.0-0 c5 (see diagram), another French-type handling of the opening. The main 3rd move alternative for White has been to defend the e4 pawn with 3.Nc3 , after which a typical continuation would be 3...e6 4.Nf3 Bb4 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bxf6 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Qxf6 (see diagram), MCO-15 now gives advantage to White following 9.0-0 d6 10.Nd2 e5 11.f4 Qe7 12.Qg4 , as in David– Bauer , France 2005. Instead of playing 3...e6, Black may also transpose into
3400-722: The move 2...Ba6 is known as the Guatemala Defence . This opening was invented by a Guatemalan named Roberto Asturias, and further investigated by his compatriots including David Vela [ es ] and Hans Cohn [ de ] . Joel Benjamin and Eric Schiller see some logic in Black's concept to exchange White's light-squared bishop as soon as possible, as it often proves troublesome for Black in many openings. Andrew Soltis writes that it has "no other discernible benefit than to get out of ' book ' as quickly as possible". Speelman vs. Basman , British Championship 1984: 1. e4 e6 2. Nc3 b6 3. d4 Bb7 transposing to
3468-480: The next few moves) transposing into an unorthodox type of Open Sicilian where Black has played an early ...b6/...Bb7. According to IM Lawrence Trent , 4…c5 has ‘generally been almost refuted by cloud engines’. He therefore suggests that Black may be better off exploring the sideline 4…d5 . Possibilities offered by Trent include 5.e5 Ba6 , which gives an Advance French type structure where Black can swiftly exchange off his bad bishop, and 5.exd Qxd 6.Nc3 Qd8 where
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#17328520983173536-436: The nineteenth century compared to 1...e5. The first world chess champion Wilhelm Steinitz said "I have never in my life played the French Defence, which is the dullest of all openings". In the early 20th century, Géza Maróczy was perhaps the first world-class player to make it his primary weapon against 1.e4. For a long time, it was the third most popular reply to 1.e4, behind only 1...c5 and 1...e5. However, according to
3604-462: The opening is named. Owen seems to have used 1.e4 b6 as his main defence for the majority of his career, including in two games against Paul Morphy in 1858 (scoring one win and one loss.) In 1889, Owen's Defence was played seven times by Isidor Gunsberg at the US Chess Congress (scoring +4,=2,-1), but the opening was otherwise a very rare visitor in master level chess until the 1970s when it
3672-562: The pawn with 3.Bd3 allows 3...dxe4 4.Bxe4 Nf6, when Black gains either a tempo or the advantage of the two bishops . The diagram shows a pawn structure commonly found in the French. Black has more space on the queenside, so tends to focus on that side of the board, almost always playing ...c7–c5 early on to attack White's pawn chain at its base, and may follow up by advancing the a- and b-pawns. Position after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.f4 Qb6 6.Nf3 Nh6 Alternatively or simultaneously, Black will play against White's centre, which
3740-631: The position is for White or Black to castle on opposite sides of the board. An example of this is the line 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Bd6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.0-0 Nge7 8.Re1 Qd7 9.Nbd2 0-0-0 . After 1.e4 e6, the main variation continues 2.d4 d5, but White can try other ideas. There are also a few rare continuations after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5, including 3.Bd3 (the Schlechter Variation), 3.Be3 (the Alapin Gambit), and 3.c4 (the Diemer – Duhm Gambit, which can also be reached via
3808-401: The queen's knight is on c3, the king's knight may go to e2 when the enemy bishop and knight can be kept out of the key squares e4 and g4 by f3. When the knight is on c3 in the first and last of the above strategies, White may choose either short or long castling . The positions are so symmetrical that the options and strategies are the same for both sides. Another way to unbalance
3876-415: The queenside by playing a2–a3 and b2–b4. If implemented successfully, this will further restrict Black's pieces. One of the drawbacks of the French Defence for Black is the queen's bishop , which is blocked in by the pawn on e6 and can remain passive throughout the game. An often-cited example of the potential weakness of this bishop is S. Tarrasch – R. Teichmann , San Sebastián 1912, in which
3944-417: The queenside, and then ...f6 to open up the kingside, where White's king often resides. If Black can accomplish this, White is often left without meaningful play, although ...c4 does permit White a4 followed by Ba3 if Black has not stopped this by placing a piece on a4 (for example, by Bd7–a4). 5th-move deviations for White include: 4th-move deviations for White include: Deviations for Black include: This
4012-458: The queenside, which form the basis for Black's counterplay, they can also help White since they strengthen his centre and give him a semi-open b-file. White has a spatial advantage on the kingside, where Black is even weaker than usual because he has traded off his dark-square bishop . Combined with the bishop pair, this gives White attacking chances, which he must attempt to use as the long-term features of this pawn structure favour Black. In
4080-401: The so-called " Poisoned Pawn Variation "; or he can play 7...0-0 8.Bd3 Nbc6, which avoids giving up material, but leaves the king on the flank where White is trying to attack. A more recent alternative is 7...Kf8, which tries to make use of the locked pawn centre (the king is safe from central attacks, and can run away from a kingside attack). Experts on the 7.Qg4 line include Judit Polgár . If
4148-513: The structure might be taken to resemble either an unusual form of Qd8 Scandinavian or a rare type of Exchange French where Black had re-captured with the Queen to keep the pawn structure asymmetrical (i.e. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e4xd5 Qxd5!?). German opening theoretician FM Klaus Gewehns considered much of the complex after 3.Bd3 e6 to be dangerous for Black and instead concentrated on 3...Nf6 (as often played by Owen's Defence specialist Pavel Blatny ),
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#17328520983174216-715: The symmetry. An extreme example was Capablanca – Maróczy , Lake Hopatcong 1926, which went: 4.Bd3 Bd6 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.0-0 0-0 7.Bg5 Bg4 8.Re1 Nbd7 9.Nbd2 c6 10.c3 Qc7 11.Qc2 Rfe8 12.Bh4 Bh5 13.Bg3 Bxg3 14.hxg3 Bg6 15.Rxe8+ Rxe8 16.Bxg6 hxg6 17.Re1 Rxe1+ 18.Nxe1 Ne8 19.Nd3 Nd6 20.Qb3 a6 21.Kf1 ½–½ . Despite the symmetrical pawn structure, White cannot force a draw. An obsession with obtaining one sometimes results in embarrassment for White, as in Tatai– Korchnoi , Beer Sheva 1978, which continued 4.Bd3 c5!? 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Qe2+ Be7 7.dxc5 Nf6 8.h3 0-0 9.0-0 Bxc5 10.c3 Re8 11.Qc2 Qd6 12.Nbd2 Qg3 13.Bf5 Re2 14.Nd4 Nxd4 0–1 . A less extreme example
4284-536: The tactical complications of 7.Qg4 are not to White's taste, 7.Nf3 and 7.a4 are good positional alternatives, and 7.h4 is a more aggressive attempt: 7.Nf3 is a natural developing move, and White usually follows it up by developing the king's bishop to d3 or e2 (occasionally to b5) and castling kingside. This is called the Winawer Advance Variation. This line often continues 7...Bd7 8.Bd3 c4 9.Be2 Ba4 10.0-0 Qa5 11.Bd2 Nbc6 12.Ng5 h6 13.Nh3 0-0-0. Its assessment
4352-456: The weak h7-pawn, which is usually defended by a knight on f6, but here it has been pushed away by e5. If 9...cxd4 (Black does better with 9...f5 or 9...f6), White can play the Greek gift sacrifice 10.Bxh7+ Kxh7 11.Ng5+ Qxg5 ! 12.fxg5 dxc3 13.Qh5+! where Black has three minor pieces for the queen, a slight material superiority, but has a vulnerable king and White has good attacking chances. Apart from
4420-581: Was Mikhail Gurevich – Nigel Short , Manila 1990 where White, a strong Russian grandmaster , played openly for the draw but was ground down by Short in 42 moves. To create genuine winning chances, White will often play c2–c4 at some stage to put pressure on Black's d5-pawn. Black can give White an isolated queen's pawn by capturing on c4, but this gives White's pieces greater freedom, which may lead to attacking chances. This occurs in lines such as 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 (played by GMs Normunds Miezis and Maurice Ashley ) and 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.c4, which may transpose to
4488-612: Was adopted by freethinkers such as Bent Larsen and Michael Basman . In more recent times Owen's Defence has been played with some regularity by grandmasters Pavel Blatny , Artashes Minasian , Nona Gaprindashvili , Tony Miles , Edvīns Ķeņģis , and Normunds Miezis , and by International Masters Bauer , Bricard and Filipovic. The opening remains rare but has enjoyed a certain amount of popularity in top-level online blitz tournaments, including in games by Alireza Firouzja , Magnus Carlsen , Hikaru Nakamura , Ian Nepomniachtchi and Teimour Radjabov . The theory of Owen's Defence
4556-505: Was frequently played in the early days of the French Defence. Aron Nimzowitsch believed it to be White's best choice and enriched its theory with many ideas. The Advance declined in popularity, however, throughout most of the 20th century until it was revived in the 1980s by GM and prominent opening theoretician Evgeny Sveshnikov , who continued to be a leading expert in this line. In recent years, it has become nearly as popular as 3.Nd2; GM Alexander Grischuk has championed it successfully at
4624-412: Was recommended by Howard Staunton in the 19th century, but has been in decline ever since. In the early 1990s, Garry Kasparov briefly experimented with it before switching to 3.Nc3. Black's game is made much easier as his queen's bishop has been liberated. It has the reputation of giving immediate equality to Black due to the symmetrical pawn structure. Like the Exchange, the Advance Variation
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