Nimzowitsch Defence

Nimzowitsch Defence
abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
c8 black bishop
d8 black queen
e8 black king
f8 black bishop
g8 black knight
h8 black rook
a7 black pawn
b7 black pawn
c7 black pawn
d7 black pawn
e7 black pawn
f7 black pawn
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
c6 black knight
e4 white pawn
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
c2 white pawn
d2 white pawn
f2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
b1 white knight
c1 white bishop
d1 white queen
e1 white king
f1 white bishop
g1 white knight
h1 white rook
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Moves1.e4 Nc6
ECOB00
Named afterAron Nimzowitsch
ParentKing's Pawn Game

The Nimzowitsch Defence (named after Aron Nimzowitsch) is a somewhat uncommon chess opening characterised by the moves:

1. e4 Nc6

This opening is an example of a hypermodern opening in which Black invites White to occupy the centre of the board at an early stage with pawns.[1] Black's intent is to block or otherwise restrain White's central pawns and, if allowed to do so by inaccurate play by White, eventually undermine the White pawn centre by well-timed pawn advances of their own or by attacking the white pieces defending the centre. World Champion Garry Kasparov and Grandmaster Raymond Keene wrote that it "has never been fully accepted as a dependable opening. Nevertheless it is sound and offers the maverick spirit a great deal of foreign territory to explore."[2]

The Nimzowitsch is included under code B00 in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings.

  1. ^ Schiller, Eric (March 1997). World Champion Openings. Cardoza Publishing. p. 340. ISBN 0-940685-69-8.
  2. ^ Garry Kasparov and Raymond Keene, Batsford Chess Openings 2, Collier Books, 1989, p. 228. ISBN 0-02-033991-7.