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
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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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