Symmetrical Defense

Symmetrical Defense
7	7
6	6
5	5
4	4
3	3
2	2
1	1
Moves	1.d4 d5 2.c4 c5
ECO	D06
Origin	1604, Alessandro Salvio
Named after	Austria
Parent	Queen's Gambit
Synonym(s)	Austrian Defense

Last updated February 26, 2019

The Symmetrical Defense (or Austrian Defense) is a chess opening that begins with the moves:

Chess is a two-player strategy board game played on a chessboard, a checkered gameboard with 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid. The game is played by millions of people worldwide. Chess is believed to be derived from the Indian game chaturanga some time before the 7th century. Chaturanga is also the likely ancestor of the Eastern strategy games xiangqi, janggi, and shogi. Chess reached Europe by the 9th century, due to the Umayyad conquest of Hispania. The pieces assumed their current powers in Spain in the late 15th century with the introduction of "Mad Queen Chess"; the modern rules were standardized in the 19th century.

Chess opening Initial moves of a chess game

A chess opening or simply an opening refers to the initial moves of a chess game. The term can refer to the initial moves by either side, White or Black, but an opening by Black may also be known as a defense. There are dozens of different openings, and hundreds of variants. The Oxford Companion to Chess lists 1,327 named openings and variants. These vary widely in character from quietpositional play to wild tactical play. In addition to referring to specific move sequences, the opening is the first phase of a chess game, the other phases being the middlegame and the endgame.

1. d4 d5

2. c4 c5

First described in print by Alessandro Salvio in 1604, the opening is often called the Austrian Defense because it was studied by Austrian chess players including Hans Haberditz (c. 1901–57), Hans Müller (1896–1971), and GM Ernst Grünfeld.^[1]

Alessandro Salvio was an Italian chess player who is considered to be the unofficial world champion around the year 1600. He started an Italian chess academy in Naples, Italy, and wrote a book called Trattato dell'Inventione et Arte Liberale del Gioco Degli Scacchi, which was published in Naples in 1604. He also wrote Il Puttino published in 1634. According to JH Saratt's translation, Il Puttino was first published in 1604, and republished in 1634.

Austria, officially the Republic of Austria, is a country of nearly 9 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The territory of Austria covers 83,879 km² (32,386 sq mi). The terrain is highly mountainous, lying within the Alps; only 32% of the country is below 500 m (1,640 ft), and its highest point is 3,798 m (12,461 ft). The majority of the population speaks local Bavarian dialects as their native language, and German in its standard form is the country's official language. Other local official languages are Hungarian, Burgenland Croatian, and Slovene.

The Symmetrical Defense is an uncommon variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. It poses the purest test of Queen's Gambit theory—whether Black can equalize by simply copying White's moves. Most opening theoreticians believe that White should gain the advantage and at best Black is playing for a draw.^[2]

The Queen's Gambit Declined is a chess opening in which Black declines a pawn offered by White in the Queen's Gambit:

Draw (chess) result of a chess game ending in a tie

In chess, a draw is the result of a game ending in a tie. Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.

This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

3.cxd5

White often replies 3.cxd5, but other moves are playable and may lead to transpositions into more well-known variations such as the Queen's Gambit Accepted and the Tarrasch Defense. After 3.cxd5 it is not advisable for Black to play 3...Qxd5, because either 4.Nf3 cxd4 5.Nc3 Qa5 6.Nxd4 or 5...Qd8 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 give White a big lead in development.^[3] Instead, Black should play 3...Nf6 intending to recapture on d5 with his knight. White should be able to maintain the advantage with either 4.Nf3 or 4.e4. Possible continuations are 4.Nf3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nxd5 6.e4 Nc7 or 4.e4 Nxe4 5.dxc5 Nxc5 6.Nc3 e6.^[4]^[5]

A transposition in chess and other chess-like games is a sequence of moves that results in a position which may also be reached by another, more common sequence of moves. Transpositions are particularly common in the opening, where a given position may be reached by different sequences of moves. Players sometimes use transpositions deliberately in order to avoid variations they dislike, lure opponents into unfamiliar or uncomfortable territory or simply to worry opponents.

The Queen's Gambit Accepted is a chess opening characterised by the moves:

The Tarrasch Defense is a chess opening characterized by the moves:

Related Research Articles

Gambit chess opening in which a player sacrifices material with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position

A gambit is a chess opening in which a player, more often White, sacrifices material, usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position. Some well-known examples are the King's Gambit, Queen's Gambit, and Evans Gambit. A gambit used by Black may also be called a gambit, e.g. the Latvian Gambit, or Englund Gambit ; but is sometimes called a "countergambit", e.g. the Albin Countergambit and Greco Countergambit.

The French Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:

The Grünfeld Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:

The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the following moves:

The English Opening is a chess opening that begins with the move:

The Caro–Kann Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:

The Scotch Game, or Scotch Opening, is a chess opening that begins with the moves:

The Danish Gambit, known as the Nordisches Gambit in German and the Noords Gambiet in Dutch, is a chess opening that begins with the moves:

The Chigorin Defense is a chess opening named for 19th century Russian grandmaster Mikhail Chigorin. An uncommonly played defense to the Queen's Gambit, it begins with the moves:

The Slav Defense is a chess opening that begins with the moves:

The Baltic Defense is a chess opening characterized by the moves:

The Maróczy Bind is a pawn formation in chess, named after the Hungarian grandmaster Géza Maróczy and primarily played against the Sicilian Defence. It is characterised by white pawns on c4 and e4, with White's d-pawn having been exchanged for Black's c-pawn.

Queens Gambit Declined, Cambridge Springs Defense Chess opening

In chess, the Cambridge Springs Defense is a variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined that begins with the moves:

Grünfeld Defence, Nadanian Variation Chess opening

The Nadanian Variation of the Grünfeld Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:

In chess, checkmates in the opening are examples of a player being checkmated during the first few moves of the game. Some common or notable mating patterns have names of their own. These include Fool's mate, Scholar's mate, and Légal's mate.

The Scandinavian Defense is a chess opening characterized by the moves:

References

↑ Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1996), "Austrian Defence", The Oxford Companion to Chess , Oxford University, ISBN 0-19-280049-3
↑ Korn, Walter (1982), "Queen's Gambit Declined", Modern Chess Openings (Twelfth ed.), David McKay, p. 266, ISBN 0-679-13500-6
↑ Pachman, Luděk (1982), The Opening Game in Chess, Routledge & Kegan Paul, p. 140, ISBN 0-7100-9222-9
↑ Nunn, John, ed. (1999), "1 d4 d5 and Unusual Replies to the Queen's Gambit", Nunn's Chess Openings, Everyman Chess, p. 365, ISBN 1-85744-221-0
↑ Kasparov, Garry; Keene, Raymond (1994) [1989], "Queen's Gambit", Batsford Chess Openings 2, Henry Holt, p. 80, ISBN 0-8050-3409-9

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[1] Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1996), "Austrian Defence", The Oxford Companion to Chess , Oxford University, ISBN 0-19-280049-3

[2] Korn, Walter (1982), "Queen's Gambit Declined", Modern Chess Openings (Twelfth ed.), David McKay, p. 266, ISBN 0-679-13500-6

[3] Pachman, Luděk (1982), The Opening Game in Chess, Routledge & Kegan Paul, p. 140, ISBN 0-7100-9222-9

[4] Nunn, John, ed. (1999), "1 d4 d5 and Unusual Replies to the Queen's Gambit", Nunn's Chess Openings, Everyman Chess, p. 365, ISBN 1-85744-221-0

[5] Kasparov, Garry; Keene, Raymond (1994) [1989], "Queen's Gambit", Batsford Chess Openings 2, Henry Holt, p. 80, ISBN 0-8050-3409-9