Modern defence facts for kids
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The Modern Defence is a special way to start a chess game. It's one of the few openings you can use against almost any first move your opponent makes. You can even use it as your own first move!
This opening usually starts with Black moving their king's bishop to g7. This move is called a fianchetto. It means moving a knight's pawn one square and then putting a bishop on that square. For example, the first moves might be:
- 1. e4 g6
- 2. d4 Bg7
What is the Modern Defence?
The Modern Defence is a hypermodern opening. This means Black does not try to control the center of the board right away with pawns. Instead, Black lets White build a strong center. Then, Black plans to attack that center later with pieces and pawns from the sides.
How Black Plays
After moving the bishop to g7, Black will often play ...d6 next. This helps support the center. Then, Black will develop other pieces on the king's side of the board. Later in the game, Black might attack White's center with a pawn move like ...c5.
This way of playing is very flexible. It means Black can change their plans easily depending on what White does. There are many ways the game can transpose, which means reaching a similar position through different moves.
Who Uses It?
Some very strong chess players, called grandmasters, use the Modern Defence a lot. They might even use it almost every time they play, whether they are playing as White or Black. It's a tricky opening that can surprise opponents.
