Modern Defense
ECO B06 · Modern Defense · tactical · intermediate
The Modern Defense (B06) is a tactical chess opening in the Modern Defense family, played by Black. It arises after the moves 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7. Immediate fianchetto without d6. Ultra-flexible. Recommended for intermediate players.
Moves: 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7
About this opening
The Modern Defense (1...g6 and a kingside bishop fianchetto) deliberately cedes the center to White, only to challenge it later with ...d6, ...e5 or ...c5. Very flexible, it often transposes into the Pirc once Black adds ...Nf6. It is an opening of character that rewards an understanding of structures over memorization. Tigran Petrosian and later Hikaru Nakamura explored its resources.