Modern Defense, North Sea Variation
Encyclopedia
The North Sea Variation is an opening variation in the game of chess
. It is a variation of the Modern Defense
complex, which occurs after the moves 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Nf6!? 3.e5 Nh5, producing the diagrammed position.
According to Jim Bickford, one of the characteristics of this defense is the "cork-screw" maneuver the knight makes by traveling to the second rank via f6 and h5. In the introduction to his monograph, Bickford quotes the late Tony Miles
as saying "The black knights are better on the second rank - a shame it takes two moves for them to get there." This joke is a reference to the fact that black knights on the second rank would likely occupy the squares d7 or e7, however, in the uncommon openings favored by Miles they tend to wind up on less characteristic squares along that rank, such as f7, g7, c7 and d7.
This variation may have received a wave of attention recently after Carlsen employed it against Adams at the 2010 Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk
.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
. It is a variation of the Modern Defense
Modern Defense
The Modern Defense is a hypermodern chess opening in which Black allows White to occupy the center with pawns on d4 and e4, then proceeds to attack and undermine this "ideal" center without attempting to occupy it himself...
complex, which occurs after the moves 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Nf6!? 3.e5 Nh5, producing the diagrammed position.
According to Jim Bickford, one of the characteristics of this defense is the "cork-screw" maneuver the knight makes by traveling to the second rank via f6 and h5. In the introduction to his monograph, Bickford quotes the late Tony Miles
Tony Miles
Anthony John Miles was an English chess Grandmaster.- Early achievements in chess :Miles was born in Edgbaston, a suburb of Birmingham...
as saying "The black knights are better on the second rank - a shame it takes two moves for them to get there." This joke is a reference to the fact that black knights on the second rank would likely occupy the squares d7 or e7, however, in the uncommon openings favored by Miles they tend to wind up on less characteristic squares along that rank, such as f7, g7, c7 and d7.
This variation may have received a wave of attention recently after Carlsen employed it against Adams at the 2010 Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk
39th Chess Olympiad
The 39th Chess Olympiad, organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place in 2010 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, on to...
.