Tarrasch Defense
Encyclopedia
The Tarrasch Defense is a chess opening
characterized by the moves:
The Tarrasch is a variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined
.
With his third move, Black makes an aggressive bid for central space. After White plays cxd5 and dxc5, Black will be left with an isolated pawn
on d5. Such a pawn may be weak, since it can no longer be defended by other pawns; but it grants Black a foothold in the center, and Black's bishops will have unobstructed lines for development.
The opening was advocated by the German master
Siegbert Tarrasch
, who contended that the increased mobility Black enjoys is well worth the inherent weakness of the isolated center pawn. Although many other masters, after the teachings of Wilhelm Steinitz
, rejected the Tarrasch Defense out of hand because of the pawn weakness
, Tarrasch continued to play his opening while rejecting other variations of the Queen's Gambit
, even to the point of putting question marks on routine moves in all variations except the Tarrasch (which he awarded an exclamation mark) in his book Die moderne Schachpartie. (See chess punctuation
.)
The Tarrasch Defense is considered sound. Even if Black fails to make use of his mobility and winds up in an inferior endgame, tied to the defence of his isolated pawn, he may be able to hold the draw
if he defends accurately.
In the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, the Tarrasch Defense has codes D32 through D34.
his king's bishop
in order to put pressure on the isolated d5-pawn, as 3...c5 has relinquished the possibility of protecting the point d5 by means of ...c6.
After 4.cxd5, Black may offer the Hennig-Schara Gambit with 4....cxd4. While this was once essayed by Alekhine
, it has never achieved popularity at master level and is considered good for White.
On his third move White often plays 3.Nf3 instead (in part to avoid the Hennig-Schara), which after 3...c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nc3 transposes to the main line.
In modern praxis, 9.Bg5 is most frequently played here, though there are other ideas of note, 9.dxc5 and 9.b3 being the main alternatives. (Other lines are 9.Be3, 9.Bf4, and 9.a3.)
The Swedish Variation has ECO code D33.
After 4....c5, White usually plays 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e3 or 6.e4, which lead to different types of middlegame play and have attracted the interest of strong players with both colours since the early twentieth century.
The Semi-Tarrasch has ECO codes D40 through D42.
in his Candidates Match with Tigran Petrosian
in 1971, gives a different turn.
Symmetrical Variation has ECO code D40.
Chess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
characterized by the moves:
- 1. d4 d5
- 2. c4 e6
- 3. Nc3 c5
The Tarrasch is a variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined
Queen's Gambit Declined
The Queen's Gambit Declined is a chess opening in which Black declines a pawn offered by White in the Queen's Gambit:This is known as the Orthodox Line of the Queen's Gambit Declined...
.
With his third move, Black makes an aggressive bid for central space. After White plays cxd5 and dxc5, Black will be left with an isolated pawn
Isolated pawn
In chess, an isolated pawn is a pawn which has no friendly pawn on an adjacent file. An isolated queen's pawn is often called an isolani. Isolated pawns are usually a weakness because they cannot be protected by other pawns...
on d5. Such a pawn may be weak, since it can no longer be defended by other pawns; but it grants Black a foothold in the center, and Black's bishops will have unobstructed lines for development.
The opening was advocated by the German master
Chess master
A chess master is a chess player of such skill that he/she can usually beat chess experts, who themselves typically prevail against most amateurs. Among chess players, the term is often abbreviated to master, the meaning being clear from context....
Siegbert Tarrasch
Siegbert Tarrasch
Siegbert Tarrasch was one of the strongest chess players and most influential chess teachers of the late 19th century and early 20th century....
, who contended that the increased mobility Black enjoys is well worth the inherent weakness of the isolated center pawn. Although many other masters, after the teachings of Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian and then American chess player and the first undisputed world chess champion from 1886 to 1894. From the 1870s onwards, commentators have debated whether Steinitz was effectively the champion earlier...
, rejected the Tarrasch Defense out of hand because of the pawn weakness
Pawn structure
In chess, the pawn structure is the configuration of pawns on the chessboard. Since pawns are the least mobile of the chess pieces, the pawn structure is relatively static and thus largely determines the strategic nature of the position.-General observations:Weaknesses in the pawn structure, such...
, Tarrasch continued to play his opening while rejecting other variations of the Queen's Gambit
Queen's Gambit
The Queen's Gambit is a chess opening that starts with the moves:The Queen's Gambit is one of the oldest known chess openings. It was mentioned in the Göttingen manuscript of 1490 and was later analysed by masters such as Gioachino Greco in the seventeenth century...
, even to the point of putting question marks on routine moves in all variations except the Tarrasch (which he awarded an exclamation mark) in his book Die moderne Schachpartie. (See chess punctuation
Punctuation (chess)
When annotating chess games, commentators frequently use question marks and exclamation points to denote a move as bad or good. The symbols normally used are "??", "?", "?!", "!?", "!", and "!!". The corresponding symbol is juxtaposed in the text immediately after the move When annotating chess...
.)
The Tarrasch Defense is considered sound. Even if Black fails to make use of his mobility and winds up in an inferior endgame, tied to the defence of his isolated pawn, he may be able to hold the draw
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
if he defends accurately.
In the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, the Tarrasch Defense has codes D32 through D34.
Tarrasch Defense
In the main line, White will isolate Black's queen pawn with 4. cxd5 exd5 and attempt to exploit its weakness. The most common setup is to fianchettoFianchetto
In chess the fianchetto is a pattern of development wherein a bishop is developed to the second rank of the adjacent knight file, the knight pawn having been moved one or two squares forward....
his king's bishop
Bishop (chess)
A bishop is a piece in the board game of chess. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the king's knight and the king, the other between the queen's knight and the queen...
in order to put pressure on the isolated d5-pawn, as 3...c5 has relinquished the possibility of protecting the point d5 by means of ...c6.
After 4.cxd5, Black may offer the Hennig-Schara Gambit with 4....cxd4. While this was once essayed by Alekhine
Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine was the fourth World Chess Champion. He is often considered one of the greatest chess players ever.By the age of twenty-two, he was already among the strongest chess players in the world. During the 1920s, he won most of the tournaments in which he played...
, it has never achieved popularity at master level and is considered good for White.
On his third move White often plays 3.Nf3 instead (in part to avoid the Hennig-Schara), which after 3...c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nc3 transposes to the main line.
Main line: 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6
7. Bg2 Be7 8. 0-0 0-0In modern praxis, 9.Bg5 is most frequently played here, though there are other ideas of note, 9.dxc5 and 9.b3 being the main alternatives. (Other lines are 9.Be3, 9.Bf4, and 9.a3.)
Swedish Variation
The Swedish Variation (also called the Folkestone Variation) is a sharp line beginning 6... c4. Black now has a four to three queenside pawn majority, and will try to expand with ...b5, with White aiming for a central break with e4. The line is considered somewhat dubious, and is rarely seen nowadays.The Swedish Variation has ECO code D33.
Semi-Tarrasch Defense
The variation 3... Nf6 4. Nf3 c5 is called the Semi-Tarrasch Defense. Unlike the regular Tarrasch, Black does not accept an isolated pawn, since he intends to recapture on d5 with the knight (as after 5.cxd5, 5....Nxd5 has long been known to be dubious after 6.Bg5), but he cedes a spatial advantage to White.After 4....c5, White usually plays 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e3 or 6.e4, which lead to different types of middlegame play and have attracted the interest of strong players with both colours since the early twentieth century.
The Semi-Tarrasch has ECO codes D40 through D42.
Symmetrical Variation
In this line, White forgoes the fianchetto, with its direct play against d5, opting to keep central tension for the moment by playing 4. e3, after which 4... Nf6 5. Nf3 Nc6 is the normal continuation. From this position, White may choose to inflict the isolated pawn on Black, accept the weakness himself in return for active piece play, or play 6.a3, with a view to dxc5, followed by b4 and Bb2, aiming for positions in which the extra tempo will come in useful if Black keeps the symmetry; thus, 6....Ne4, once chosen by Bobby FischerBobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
in his Candidates Match with Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
in 1971, gives a different turn.
Symmetrical Variation has ECO code D40.
External links
- Opening Report: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.e4 (105 games) (in ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
)