Vulture Defense - Unorthodox Black Opening (A00)

Vulture Defense

Definition

The Vulture Defense is an unorthodox reply to the Queen’s-pawn opening that begins with the startling pawn thrust 1…g5!? after White plays 1. d4. The move mirrors the Grob Attack (1. g4) but from Black’s side of the board, staking immediate space on the kingside and signalling an intention to fianchetto the bishop on g7 or to harass White’s centre with flank pressure. It is coded A00 in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO) and is sometimes called the “Basman Vulture” after English IM Michael Basman, its most persistent practitioner.

Typical Move-Orders

The opening can arise in several ways, but the most common is:

      1. d4 g5!?          (the Vulture proper)
      2. Bxg5? c5!        (an immediate trap if White grabs the pawn)
    

Black may also reach Vulture-style positions with:

• 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g5!? (delaying the thrust for one move)
• 1. d4 g6 2. c4 g5!? (transposing from a Modern set-up)

Strategic Ideas

• Provocation and psychology. The move …g5 immediately breaks classical opening principles, inviting White to over-react or to drift into unfamiliar territory.
• Kingside space. By advancing the g-pawn Black claims squares such as g4 and f5 for minor pieces, sometimes following up with …Bg7, …h6, …Nf6–h5, and even …g4 to clamp down on White’s centre.
• Counter-attacking centre. If White captures on g5, Black often hits back with …c5 or …d5, opening lines against the d-pawn while the bishop on g5 has no safe retreat.
• Flexible castling. Black may castle long, leave the king in the centre, or—even more provocatively— walk the monarch to f8–g7 depending on how the middlegame evolves.
• Risk vs. reward. The Vulture concedes weaknesses on the dark squares (f6, h6, f5) and delays development. Accurate play is required to avoid an early collapse, but successful Vulture games show how quickly Black can seize the initiative if White is careless.

Historical Background

Although 1…g5!? had appeared sporadically in correspondence games as early as the 19th century, it was IM Michael Basman who gave the line consistent practical tests in the 1970s–1990s. Basman’s fondness for eccentric flank openings (he also championed the Grob Attack and St. George Defense) inspired the name “Vulture”—a scavenger bird willing to feed on an opponent’s inaccuracies.

The opening has never been adopted by elite grandmasters in classical play, but it enjoys a cult following in blitz and online rapid chess where time pressure heightens its psychological sting.

Illustrative Lines & Traps

1. Immediate pawn-grab refuted
   [[Pgn| d4 g5|Bxg5 c5|dxc5 Bg7|c3 Na6|e4 Nxc5|| ]]

   White wins a pawn on move 2 but soon faces …Qa5+ or …Nxe4 tactics. After 6…Nxc5 Black has regained material with healthy development.

2. Quiet set-up (Basman’s favourite)
   [[Pgn| d4 g5|c4 h6|Nc3 Bg7|e4 d6|Be3 Nc6|Nge2 e5|| ]]

   Black refrains from pawn snatching and instead builds a flexible Modern/Pirc structure, ready for …f5 or …exd4 followed by central counter-play.

Game to Study

Basman’s own games are the primary laboratory for the Vulture. One entertaining example is:

[[Pgn| d4 g5|Bf4 gxf4|Qd2 Bh6|Nc3 d6|O-O-O Nc6|Kf1 e5|dxe5 dxe5|Nf3 Qxd2|Rxd2 Nge7|Nb5 Rb8|Nxc7+ Kf8|| |fen|r2n1b1r/ppN1nppp/2np4/4p3/8/5N2/PPPR1PPP/R3KB1R b KQ - 0 11|arrows|g8f6,h8g8,g5g4|squares|e5,f4 ]]

Michael Basman – Andrew Martin, British Championship (London) 1983. Black’s king stayed in the centre while the rooks swung rapidly to the g-file, ending in a spectacular pawn storm and eventual win for Black.

Interesting Facts & Anecdotes

• The Vulture Defense and the Borg Defense (1. e4 g5) together form a kind of “chess mirror”: one for each of the two main opening moves. Basman jokingly called them “the twin terrors that keep grandmasters up at night.”
• Because the ECO classifies virtually every first-move oddity for Black under A00, players sometimes label their online games “A00 — Vulture Defense” even when the exact Basman move-order is not reached.
• A tongue-in-cheek club rule in Basman’s Surrey County circuit once fined any player who declined to meet 1…g5 “over the board,” proclaiming that “vultures must be fed.”
• The defense has spawned blitz memes such as “Never play g-pawn moves—unless you’re a Vulture!” in homage to the GothamChess catch-phrase.

Practical Tips

• If you play it as Black: Memorise the critical pawn-grab line (2.Bxg5 c5!) and be prepared for rapid development with …Bg7, …Qb6, and …Nc6 aiming at d4.
• If you face it as White: Consider declining the pawn. Calm development with 2.c4, 3.Nc3, and an early h4 restricts Black’s kingside expansion while keeping a solid centre.
• In shorter time controls, choose simple set-ups rather than hunting the g-pawn—Vulture players thrive on tactical chaos.

Summary

The Vulture Defense is an audacious, borderline-unsound opening that nevertheless yields rich practical chances for the well-prepared and psychologically resilient. Its very existence reminds us that creativity—and a taste for danger—remain alive and well in the royal game.