Carls Defence – Chess Term
Carls Defence
Definition
The Carls Defence is a little-known but perfectly sound way for Black to decline the Danish Gambit. It arises after the moves 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 d3. Instead of holding on to the pawn with 3…dxc3 (the Danish Gambit Accepted) or returning it immediately with 3…d5 (the Schlechter Defence), Black pushes the d-pawn to d3, interfering with White’s development and forcing the f1-bishop to spend a tempo recapturing.
Typical Move Order
The basic position of the Carls Defence is reached after:
- e4 e5
- d4 exd4
- c3 d3
Most games continue 4. Bxd3 d5, when Black quickly strikes in the centre while White’s bishop sits on d3 and the c1-bishop is still blocked by the c-pawn. A sample line is 4.Bxd3 d5 5.exd5 Qxd5 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.O-O Be7, reaching an equal and relatively quiet middlegame.
Strategic Ideas
- Time-gain by pawn sacrifice. Black gives the d-pawn back, but in return forces White’s bishop to move twice (Bf1-d3), slowing the attack that usually accompanies the Danish Gambit.
- Solid pawn structure. After the thematic …d5 Black obtains a healthy, symmetrical structure with no weaknesses, avoiding the dangerous open positions typical of the Accepted Gambit.
- Piece play over pawn-grabbing. White cannot immediately generate the huge lead in development that makes many Danish lines so scary, so the game often transposes into normal open-game structures.
Historical Background
The defence is named after the German master Carl Carls (1880-1958), a contemporary of Tarrasch and Spielmann. Carls was a respected theoretician who advocated calm, positional solutions to romantic gambits that were fashionable in his time. His idea of meeting 3.c3 with 3…d3 was first analysed in the early 1900s and appeared in tournament practice shortly thereafter.
Illustrative Game
Although rarely seen in modern elite play, the following classical miniature
shows the basic ideas of the defence:
Black equalises comfortably, trades queens, and reaches a safe ending with the better structure—a typical Carls Defence outcome.
Practical Tips
- For Black: Play …d5 as soon as White’s bishop recaptures on d3; follow up with healthy development—…Nf6, …Be7, …O-O. Do not fear an early Qxd3 by White; after …Nc6 the queen will be chased.
- For White: Consider 4.Qxd3 (instead of 4.Bxd3) to avoid a second bishop move, or 4.Nf3 preparing 5.Bxd3. Rapid piece pressure on the e-file (Re1) and kingside (Bg5, Qe2) can still give practical chances.
Interesting Facts & Anecdotes
- Carl Carls was one of the first players to receive the title of International Master when FIDE created official titles in 1950.
- The ECO code most often associated with the Carls Defence is C21, a sub-variation of the Danish Gambit.
-
Danish grandmaster Bent Larsen jokingly called 3…d3 “the
anti-Danish
” because it immediately returns the pawn and removes any hint of a swashbuckling sacrifice. - In correspondence chess the Carls Defence enjoys an excellent practical score, largely because engines show it to be theoretically sound and easy to handle for Black.