1.e4 — the open games
Modern Defence
1.e4 g6ECO B06
Black hands White the centre, fianchettoes on g7 and strikes back later with …c5, …d6 and …e5 or …b5. Hypermodern and flexible, it invites White to overextend and then undermines the big pawns.
Key ideas
- …Bg7 aims at the centre and the long diagonal from move one.
- Black delays committing central pawns, then breaks with …c5, …e5 or …b5 once White has shown a plan.
- The danger is passivity — Black must find the counter-break before White's space becomes a bind.
Who it suits
Flexible, provocative players happy to give ground early and counterattack a big centre.
Add it to your repertoire.
Drill the Modern Defence move by move against the board until it's second nature.
Open the trainer