Chessstack

Modern Defense

ECO code
B06
Moves
Add to my repertoire

Create a free account to add the Modern Defense to a repertoire and start drilling it. Already have one? Sign in.

About the Modern Defense

The Modern Defense (1. e4 g6) fianchettoes the bishop at once and lets White build a center that Black attacks later.

It is close to the Pirc Defense, but Black delays ...Nf6, keeping options such as ...c6 and ...d5, or ...a6 and ...b5. White can choose a classical set-up with Nc3 and Nf3, an aggressive one with f4, or the Averbakh System with c4. Black's flexibility makes it hard for White to prepare a single plan.

Main ideas

For White

  • Take the center with d4 and e4, and choose between a solid set-up with Nc3 and Nf3 or an aggressive one with f4.
  • Use c4 in the Averbakh System to gain even more space and reach King's Indian structures on favorable terms.
  • Castle long and attack with Be3, Qd2, h4 and Bh6 when Black castles short too early.
  • Prevent Black's queenside expansion with a4 when Black plays ...a6 and ...b5.

For Black

  • Fianchetto the bishop and let White build a center, then strike it with ...c5, ...e5 or ...d5.
  • Delay ...Nf6 to keep options such as ...c6 and ...d5 or ...a6 and ...b5 that the Pirc doesn't allow.
  • Gain queenside space with ...a6, ...b5 and ...Bb7 to pressure e4.
  • Keep the bishop on g7: it is the key piece, and trading it weakens the dark squares around the king.

Pawn structure

Black starts with only the g-pawn and often the d-pawn advanced, letting White take the center with pawns on d4 and e4, and sometimes c4 or f4 too. Black's bishop on g7 aims at d4 and the long diagonal, and Black's plan is to break the center later with ...c5, ...e5 or ...d5. The structure is very flexible, and the game can transpose to the Pirc, the King's Indian, the Benoni or even the Caro-Kann.

Traps and common mistakes

Castling into the attack

Against Be3, Qd2 and long castling, Black should not castle short too early. White's plan of h4-h5 and Bh6 trades Black's key bishop and opens the h-file, and the attack can be very fast. Black should first start counterplay on the queenside with ...c6, ...b5 and ...Qa5, or delay castling.

Letting the center roll forward

If Black develops slowly and never strikes the center, White can play e5 and f4-f5, pushing Black's pieces back and opening lines towards the king. Black should break with ...c5, ...e5 or ...d5 in time, usually before White has finished development.

Who should play the Modern Defense?

Players with Black who like flexible, hypermodern set-ups and are comfortable in positions where White has more space. It suits creative players who enjoy finding plans rather than following long forced lines. The Modern also works against 1. d4, so one system can cover most of White's first moves. Players who dislike cramped positions may prefer more classical defenses.

History

The Modern Defense was played occasionally in the nineteenth century. Its pioneers included Anatoly Ufimtsev, Karl Robatsch and Duncan Suttles, who championed it from the mid-1960s, and Raymond Keene and George Botterill's 1972 book The Modern Defense set off a wave of popularity in the 1970s. It was named for its hypermodern approach of controlling the center from a distance.

Modern Defense statistics

The Modern Defense was reached in 341.4K master games (1.6% of all master games), and White scored 51% from there. On Lichess it comes up in 2.0% of games, most often among players rated 1601–1800 (2.3%).

Master games

341.4K

1.6% of games between players rated 2500+

Club games on Lichess

5.2M

2.0% of games between players rated up to 2400

White wins Draws Black wins

How often it comes up, by rating

  • 0–1000 1.1%
  • 1001–1200 1.4%
  • 1201–1400 1.8%
  • 1401–1600 2.1%
  • 1601–1800 2.3%
  • 1801–2000 2.3%
  • 2001–2200 2.2%
  • 2201–2400 2.1%

Most common next moves in master games

MoveGamesPlayedResults
2. d4285.9K84%
2. Nc316,7394.9%
2. Nf316,0974.7%
2. h412,9693.8%
2. g32,7130.8%

Famous players with the most games here

  • Hikaru Nakamura 6,326 games
  • Daniel Naroditsky 4,282 games
  • Eric Rosen 862 games
  • Levy Rozman (GothamChess) 504 games
  • Alexandra Botez 455 games
  • Chessbrah 455 games

Master games from the Chessmont database (CC BY-SA 4.0). Club games from the Lichess open database.

Main variations

  • Two Knights Variation

    B06 · 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Nf3

    White develops with Nc3 and Nf3, a classical set-up that keeps a solid center and avoids early commitments.

  • Three Pawns Attack

    B06 · 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. f4

    White plays f4 before developing the knights, building a big center with pawns on d4, e4 and f4.

  • Averbakh System

    A42 · 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. c4 d6 4. Nc3

    White plays c4 against the Modern, reaching a structure close to the King's Indian. It is a solid way to gain space.

  • Pseudo-Austrian Attack

    B06 · 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. f4

    White plays Nc3 and f4 against the Modern, an aggressive set-up close to the Pirc Austrian Attack.

Related openings

  • Pirc Defense

    B00 · 1. e4 d6

    The Pirc Defense (1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6) is a hypermodern defense that lets White take the center and then undermines it.

  • King's Indian Defense

    E61 · 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3

    The King's Indian Defense (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7) lets White build a big pawn center and then attacks it.

  • Alekhine Defense

    B02 · 1. e4 Nf6

    The Alekhine Defense (1. e4 Nf6) attacks White's e-pawn at once and invites it forward, aiming to undermine the center later.