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Hungarian Defense

Hungarian Defense
a b c d e f g h
8
Chessboard480.svg
a8 black rook
c8 black bishop
d8 black queen
e8 black king
g8 black knight
h8 black rook
a7 black pawn
b7 black pawn
c7 black pawn
d7 black pawn
e7 black bishop
f7 black pawn
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
c6 black knight
e5 black pawn
c4 white bishop
e4 white pawn
f3 white knight
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
c2 white pawn
d2 white pawn
f2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
b1 white knight
c1 white bishop
d1 white queen
e1 white king
h1 white rook
8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7
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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Wikipedia

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