Nimzowitsch Defence

In the "maverick"^[1] Nimzowitsch defence, Black postpones contesting the centre with pawns, usually to strike back after White has expanded some more.

Although Black's knight "sees" d4, it doesn't prevent White from achieving the two pawn centre because after 2. d4, White's queen can see d4 too. Black then has three main approaches:

• 2...d5, being a kind of delayed Scandinavian. After 3. exd5 Qxd5, White cannot play 4. Nc3 without gambiting the d5 pawn (the Marshall gambit). The main response is 3. e5, declining the trade of pawns, where after 3...Bf5 and ...e6 Black achieves a superior French defence structure, without the passive bishop.
• 2...e5, the Kennedy variation, where White can play 3. d5, take the pawn 3. dxe5, or transpose into a Scotch game with 3. Nf3.
• 2...d6, the Mikenas variation, concedes the initative to White, who may put another pawn in the centre (3. c4), expand and kick Black's knight (3. d5), or start developing their own minor pieces (3. Nc3 or 3. Nf3).

More popular is 2. Nf3, the declined Nimzowitsch, which offers to let Black transposed into to a mainline open game with 2...e5. This avoids the original positions resulting from lines like 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5. To keep things in original territory, Black may play 2...d6, the Williams variation, or the 2...f5?! the Colorado gambit.

Other transpositions are inferior because of the placement of Black's knight.

• 2...d5 leads to a sort of Scandinavian defence, where Black's knight prevents the useful move pawn to c6.
• 2...e6 leads to a French defence where Black cannot play ...c5.
• 2...g6 leads to an irregular Modern.

The opening is named after Aron Nimzowitsch.

For explanation of theory tables, see theory table and for notation, see algebraic notation.

1. e4 Nc6

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Wikipedia has related information at Nimzowitsch Defence

• Nunn's Chess Openings. 1999. John Nunn (Editor), Graham Burgess, John Emms, Joe Gallagher. ISBN 1-8574-4221-0.

• Modern Chess Openings: MCO-14. 1999. Nick de Firmian, Walter Korn. ISBN 0-8129-3084-3.

• BCO2
• The Nimzovich Defence To 1.e4, Hugh Myers, Caissa, 1995
• The Kipping chess Club Year Book, 1943-4
• Unorthodox Openings Joel Benjamin, Eric Schiller: Batsford 1987
• British Chess Magazine June 1899
• Myers Opening Bulletin #3