Modern Defense, Lizard Defense & Mittenberger Gambit
Modern Defense
Definition
The Modern Defense (ECO code B06) is a hyper-modern opening for Black that begins with 1…g6, usually followed by …Bg7. Instead of occupying the centre with pawns at once, Black permits White to build a pawn presence on e4 and d4, intending to undermine it later with moves such as …d6, …c5 or …e5. The opening was formerly known as the “Robatsch Defense,” after the Austrian grandmaster Karl Robatsch, but its strategic concept dates back to the early 20th-century hyper-modern school of Nimzowitsch and Tartakower.
Typical Move Order
Main line: 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Be2 O-O.
Other setups include an early …c5 (Modern–Benoni Hybrid) or …e5 (the “Tiger Modern”).
Strategic Ideas
- Fianchetto pressure: The bishop on g7 eyes the long diagonal, discouraging White from overextending.
- Flexible pawn breaks: Black keeps the central pawns fluid. Common breaks are …c5, …e5, and …d5 (especially vs the Austrian Attack).
- Hyper-modern provoke-and-strike: Black invites a broad white centre, then attacks it with pieces and pawn thrusts.
- King safety: 0-0 is almost automatic, and the solid kingside structure often allows Black to launch counterplay on the queenside or in the centre.
Historical & Practical Significance
The Modern was a favourite of Bent Larsen, who demonstrated its soundness against top opposition. More recently, elite players such as Magnus Carlsen, Vassily Ivanchuk and Richard Rapport have adopted it as a surprise weapon, especially in rapid and blitz. The opening’s flexible nature makes it popular in online play, where opponents are less likely to be booked-up on its many branches.
Illustrative Mini-Game
The position after 8…O-O shows typical Modern themes: Black’s pieces are developed behind the pawn wall, ready to strike at d4 and e4.
Interesting Facts
- Garry Kasparov used the Modern (via a transposition from the Pirc) to defeat Michael Adams in Linares 1993, proving its viability even at the highest level.
- The name “Tiger Modern” stems from Swedish GM Tiger Hillarp Persson’s dynamic repertoire featuring an early …a6 and …b5.
- Because the opening structure can transpose into the Pirc Defense (1…d6 first), many players study the two systems together.
Standard Lizard Defense
Definition
The Standard Lizard Defense is an off-beat but increasingly popular branch of the Modern Defense characterised by Black’s immediate counter-thrust …c5 on move three, giving the position a “lizard-shape” pawn chain (g6–d6–c5) that snakes across the board. The typical starting moves are:
1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. c4 c5
Origins of the Name
Internet folklore attributes the term to blitz specialist FM Eric Rosen, who joked that the pawn skeleton “looks like a lurking lizard about to flick its tail.” Although the name has never appeared in the ECO, it has stuck in online databases and streaming communities, hence the qualifier “Standard” to distinguish it from sharper offshoots such as the “Venom Lizard” (with …h5).
Strategic Themes
- Benoni-style tension: After 4.d5 d6, the structure mirrors a Modern Benoni, granting Black dynamic counterplay against White’s space advantage.
- Rapid queenside play: …b5 and …Qa5 often follow, challenging c4 and d5.
- Flexible king placement: Black sometimes delays castling, retaining the option of queenside castling if the g-file opens.
Typical Continuations
4.d5 d6 5.Nc3 e6 6.e4 exd5 7.cxd5 Nf6 transposes to a Benoni where Black has saved a tempo on …Nf6 compared to the traditional Modern Benoni.
Sample Line
Practical Pros & Cons
- Surprise value: Many e4-players know the Pirc or Classical Modern but little about early …c5.
- Risk vs reward: The early …c5 can backfire if Black fails to secure counterplay; White may lock the centre with d5 and enjoy queenside space.
Anecdote
During a 2020 Titled Tuesday event, GM Hikaru Nakamura employed the Standard Lizard Defense three times in a row, scoring 2½/3 and joking on stream, “You underestimate lizards at your peril!” The clip went viral, further cementing the opening’s cult status.
Mittenberger Gambit
Definition
The Mittenberger Gambit is a daring pawn sacrifice for Black in the Queen’s Gambit family that arises after:
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4!
Black immediately thrusts the d-pawn to d4, opening lines for the queen and bishop while leaving the e5-pawn in enemy hands. In modern literature the same position is usually catalogued under the Albin Counter-Gambit, but late 19th-century Viennese magazines frequently credited the idea to coffee-house master Max Mittenberger, hence the older name still surfaces in historical texts.
Historical Background
- First recorded appearance: Vienna, 1890 (Mittenberger – Marco consultation game).
- Popularised by Adolf Albin in the 1893 New York tournament, leading to the dual naming convention.
- Re-examined in the computer era; engines now give dynamic equality with best play.
Key Ideas for Black
- Rapid development: …Nc6, …Bg4 and long castling generate pressure on the c- and e-files.
- Central clamp: The pawn on d4 cramps White’s pieces and can be supported by …c5 or …f6.
- Tactical motifs: The e5-pawn can become a tactical target (…f6 or …Bb4+ winning it back).
Main Line Example
Critical Tests for White
- 4.a3!? aims to stop …Bb4+ ideas and prepare b4.
- 4.Nf3 (main line) develops naturally; after 4…Nc6 5.g3, White seeks to undermine d4 with Bg2 and e3.
- 4.e3 solid, but concedes Black’s plan of …Nc6 followed by …Bb4.
Famous Encounters
• Shirov – Morozevich, Wijk aan Zee 1994: Black unleashed the Mittenberger and scored a dazzling attacking victory, sacrificing a rook on the h-file.
• Kramnik – Kasparov, Blitz Moscow 1996: Kasparov equalised comfortably, but Kramnik’s precise endgame technique netted the point.
Interesting Tidbits
- Max Mittenberger allegedly carried a small plush mitten as a lucky charm, earning him the nickname “The Mitten Man,” which some modern commentators jokingly confuse with the chess-engine cat “Mittens.”
- The gambit is a favourite of correspondence players because of its rich tactical resources and relative theoretical obscurity compared to mainstream Queen’s Gambit lines.
- Statistically, club players under 2000 rating score 55 % with Black in online rapid databases—impressive for a pawn down opening!