The Hungarian 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 ...

that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bc4 Be7 The Hungarian Defense is a line in the

Italian Game The Italian Game is a family of chess openings beginning with the moves: :1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4, e4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5, e5 :2. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3, Nf3 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3 ...

typically chosen as a response to the aggressive 3.Bc4. With the move 3...Be7, Black avoids the complexities of the

Giuoco Piano The (; )Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 153. ''Giuoco Piano''. "The name means 'quiet game' and until the 19th century was often applied to any opening that was not a gambit." is a chess opening beginning with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. ...

(3...Bc5),

Evans Gambit The Evans Gambit is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bc4 Bc5 :4. b4 The Evans Gambit is an attacking line of the Giuoco Piano. White offers a pawn to divert the black bishop on c5. If Black accepts, W ...

(3...Bc5 4.b4), and Two Knights Defense (3...Nf6). White has an advantage in and freer , so Black must be prepared to defend a cramped position. According to Harding and Botterill, "The Hungarian Defence can only be played for a draw. White should have an edge in most lines." The opening is seldom seen in modern play. It has been played on occasion by some grandmasters with strong defensive-, including Reshevsky,

Hort Hort may refer to: * Hort, Hungary, a settlement in Heves county * Hort., an abbreviation which indicates that a name for a plant saw significant use in the horticultural literature but was never properly published * Hort (surname) See also

...

, and former world champions Petrosian and Smyslov. The variation takes its name from a correspondence game between Paris and

Pest, Hungary Pest () is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the eastern bank of the Danube. Pest was administratively unified with Buda and Óbuda in 1873; prior to this, it was an independent city. In colloquial Hungarian langua ...

, played from 1842 to 1845, but was first analyzed by Cozio in the 18th century.Harding & Botterill (1977), p. 130.

Main line: 4.d4

White's best response is 4.d4 (4.d3 Nf6 transposes to the Two Knights Defense), seeking advantage in the . Other moves pose fewer problems for Black: 4.c3 Nf6 ( Steinitz), or 4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.d4 Bg4. After 4.d4, Black continues either 4...exd4 or 4...d6.

4...exd4

After 4...exd4, 5.Nxd4 would transpose into a variation of the Scotch Game that gives White a spatial advantage. Weaker is 5.c3, hoping for 5...dxc3 6.Qd5, after which Black resigned in the game Midjord–Scharf,

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionChigorin), forcing White to give up the with 6.Qxd4 or

sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...

a pawn. Also is 5...Nf6 6.e5 Ne4 (the Tartakower Variation) 7.Bd5 Nc5 8.cxd4 Ne6 ( Evans), but after 9.Bb3 White has the upper hand ( Unzicker).Matanović (1981), p. 243, n. 24.

4...d6

Alternatively, Black generally tries to hold the center with 4...d6, when White has a choice of plans, each of which should be enough to secure a slight advantage. White can simplify to a slightly better queenless middlegame with 5.dxe5 dxe5 (5...Nxe5? 6.Nxe5 dxe5 7.Qh5! and White's on e5 and f7 wins a pawn) 6.Qxd8+ (6.Bd5 is also possible) Bxd8 7.Nc3 Nf6, or 7...f6. Or White can close the center with 5.d5 Nb8, followed by Bd3 and expansion on the with c4, resulting in positions resembling those from the

Old Indian Defense The Old Indian Defense is a chess opening defined by the moves: :1. d4 Nf6 :2. c4 d6 This opening is distinguished from the King's Indian Defense in that Black develops their on e7 rather than by fianchetto on g7. Mikhail Chigorin pion ...

. Finally, with 5.Nc3 White can retain in the center and obtain active piece play.

References

Bibliography * * * *{{cite book , editor-last=Matanović , editor-first=Aleksandar , editor-link=Aleksandar Matanović , title=

Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings The ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' (''ECO'') is a reference work describing the state of Chess theory#Opening theory, opening theory in chess, originally published in five volumes from 1974 to 1979 by the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugos ...

, publisher=

Chess Informant Chess Informant () is a publishing company from Belgrade, Serbia, that periodically (since 2012, four volumes per year) produces volumes of a book entitled ''Chess Informant'', as well as the ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'', ''Encyclopaedia ...

, location=Yugoslavia , volume=C , edition=2nd , year=1981 , isbn= Chess openings 1842 in chess