A04 · Flank · a defense for Black
Modern Defense: Semi-Averbakh Variation, Pterodactyl Variation
8/8
1.Nf3c52.c4g63.d4Bg74.e4Qa5+
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Modern Defense: Semi-Averbakh Variation, Pterodactyl Variation1.9k games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
67%1.3k46%
32%61050%
0.7%1432%
0.2%450%
Famous games in this line459 master games
Kamsky, Gata (2741) – Morozevich, Alexander (2758)Jakovenko, Dmitrij (2713) – Kokarev, Dmitry (2639)Artemiev, V. (2703) – Zvjaginsev, V. (2644)Khismatullin, Denis (2651) – Sasikiran, Krishnan (2653)Zvjaginsev, Vadim (2683) – Maletin, Pavel (2596)Vaganian, Rafael A (2670) – Minasian, Artashes (2586)Pantsulaia, L. (2573) – Khismatullin, D. (2682)Nielsen, Peter Heine (2670) – Cicak, Slavko (2568)Heroes of this opening Kamsky, Gata · Jakovenko, Dmitrij · Sasikiran, Krishnan · Pantsulaia, L.
- Family
- Modern Defense
- Category
- Flank
- First move
- 1.Nf3
- ECO
- A04
- Line
- 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. e4 Qa5+
FianchettoHypermodern
★ Read the guide: Modern DefenseExplore all 40 Modern Defense lines →Keep exploring
Go deeper — named lines from here
Nearby lines in the family
From the archives
Letting White build the entire center while fianchettoing quietly was considered borderline disrespectful until players like Kotov and later Suttles made it a system. The Modern is the purest hypermodern bet on the board: the big center is not an asset — it's a target.
Study this opening