A Simple Guide To The Modern Defense

The Modern Defense (also known as the Robatsch Defence after Karl Robatsch) is a hypermodern chess opening in which Black allows White to occupy the center with pawns on d4 and e4, then proceeds to attack and undermine this "ideal" center without attempting to occupy it himself. The opening has been most notably used by British grandmasters Nigel Davies and Colin McNab. Maybe 31. fxe5 (in the game cited above) gives white superior chances to resist than 31. Nxe5?!, even if black has the better game after 31... Qxg4+ 32. Kf2.

The Modern Defense is closely related to the Pirc Defence, the primary difference being that in the Modern, Black delays developing his knight to f6. The delay of ...Nf6 attacking White's pawn on e4 gives White the option of blunting the g7-bishop with c2–c3. There are numerous transpositional possibilities between the two openings. Two snapshots from Jon Speelman's  book "Modern Defence" is given here.

The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO) classifies the Modern Defense as code B06, while codes B07 to B09 are assigned to the Pirc. The tenth edition of Modern Chess Openings (1965) grouped the Pirc and Robatsch together as the "Pirc–Robatsch Defense".