Semi-Open · a defense for Black

Modern Defense: Masur Gambit

10/10
1.e4g62.d4Nh63.Nc3f54.Bxh6Bxh65.exf5O-O
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Modern Defense: Masur Gambit58 games · White to move
Only 58 games reach this position at this level — read it loosely.
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
88%5156%
10%6100%
1.7%1100%
Category
Semi-Open
First move
1.e4
ECO
B06
Line
1. e4 g6 2. d4 Nh6 3. Nc3 f5 4. Bxh6 Bxh6 5. exf5 O-O
GambitFianchettoHypermodern
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From the archives

Letting White build the entire centre while fianchettoing quietly was considered close to disrespectful; Ufimtsev was playing it in the late 1930s, and Karl Robatsch did the theoretical work that turned it into a system — across much of Europe it is still called the Robatsch Defence. The big centre is not an asset — it's a target.

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