The Chigorin Defense is a
chess opening
The opening is the initial stage of a chess game. It usually consists of established Chess_theory#Opening_theory, theory. The other phases are the chess middlegame, middlegame and the chess endgame, endgame. Many opening sequences, known as ''op ...
named for 19th-century
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n master
Mikhail Chigorin
Mikhail Ivanovich Chigorin (also ''Tchigorin''; ; – ) was a Russian chess player. He played two World Championship matches against Wilhelm Steinitz, losing both times. The last great player of the Romantic chess style, he also served as a ma ...
. An uncommonly played defense to the
Queen's Gambit
The Queen's Gambit is the chess opening that starts with the moves:
:1. d4 d5
:2. c4
It is one of the oldest openings and is still commonly played today. It is traditionally described as a '' gambit'' because White appears to sacrifice the ...
, it begins with the following moves:
:1.
d4 d5
:2.
c4 Nc6
The Chigorin Defense violates several classical principles: Black does not maintain the center pawn at d5, the c-pawn is blocked, and Black must be willing to trade a
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
for a
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
. In return, Black gets quick and piece pressure on the .
Although opening assessments change as improvements are found for each side, the Chigorin is generally considered for Black, and it is useful as a surprise weapon against the Queen's Gambit.
Alexander Morozevich is perhaps the only modern grandmaster who regularly plays the Chigorin Defense; in the 1980s,
Vasily Smyslov did employ the opening against
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov (born Garik Kimovich Weinstein on 13 April 1963) is a Russian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion (1985–2000), political activist and writer. His peak FIDE chess Elo rating system, ra ...
, achieving a draw. Morozevich has also published a book on the Chigorin Defense,
[Alexander Morozevich & Vladimir Barskij, ''The Chigorin Defence According to Morozevich'', 2007] in which he gives both a theoretical and a personal view on the opening.
The Chigorin Defense has the classification D07 in the ''
Encyclopedia of Chess Openings''.
Main variations
Because the Chigorin is an unusual defense, the
theory of this opening is not as well developed as that for more popular openings. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6, some of the most commonly played variations are:
3.Nc3
*3...Nf6 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 e5 7.d5 Nb8 or 7.Nf3 exd4.
*3...dxc4 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.e4 Bg4 6.Be3 e6 7.Bxc4 Bb4 (
pinning both of White's knights) is a position that occurs very frequently in current practice.
3.Nf3
*3...Bg4 4.cxd5 Bxf3 ()
**5.gxf3 Qxd5 6.e3 and now Black has two very different, but proven ways of playing: 6...e5 7.Nc3 Bb4 and 6...e6 7.Nc3 Qh5.
**5.dxc6 Bxc6 6.Nc3 and Black has now two well-established options: 6...Nf6 and 6...e6.
*3...e6 is fine.
3.cxd5 Qxd5
*4.e3 e5 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bd2 Bxc3 ()
**7.bxc3 and now Black's main moves are 7...Nf6 and 7...Qd6.
**7.Bxc3 has received considerable attention in recent years, and 7...exd4 8.Ne2 Nf6 9.Nxd4 0-0 seems to be considered Black's most reliable choice, but the 8...Bg4 is also sometimes played.
*4.Nf3
References
Bibliography
*
*
Further reading
*
{{Authority control
Chess openings