Hungarian Defense
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| Moves | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ECO | C50 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Origin | 18th century | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent | Italian Game | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Hungarian Defense is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
The Hungarian Defense is a line in the Italian Game typically chosen as a quiet response to the aggressive 3.Bc4. The opening is seldom seen in modern play.
The variation takes its name from a correspondence game between Paris and Pest, Hungary played from 1843–45, but was first analyzed by Cozio in the 18th century. It has been played on occasion by some grandmasters with strong defensive-positional styles, including Reshevsky, Hort, and former World Champions Petrosian and Smyslov.
With the move 3...Be7, Black avoids the complexities of the Giuoco Piano (3...Bc5), Evans Gambit (3...Bc5 4.b4), and Two Knights Defense (3...Nf6). White has an advantage in space and freer development, so Black must be prepared to defend a cramped position.
White's best response is 4.d4 when 4...exd4 5.Nxd4 would transpose into a variation of the Scotch Game that gives White a spatial advantage. Weaker is 5.c3, hoping for 5...dxc3?! 6.Qd5!, after which Black resigned in the game Midjord–Scharf, Nice Olympiad 1974 (though Black could have tried 6...Nh6 7.Bxh6 0-0 when 8.Bc1?! Nb4 9.Qd1 c2 wins back the piece, so White should play 8.Bxg7 Kxg7 9.Nxc3 with advantage.) However, 5...Na5!, recommended by Chigorin, forces White to give up the bishop pair with 6.Qxd4 or sacrifice a pawn.
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