The Queen's Knight Defense (also known as the Nimzowitsch Queen Pawn Defence or Bogoljubow–Mikenas

Vladas Mikenas

Vladas Mikėnas was a Lithuanian International Master of chess, an Honorary Grandmaster, and a journalist.- Early life :Vladas Mikėnas played for Lithuania at first board in five official and one unofficial Chess Olympiads....

 Defense) is a chess opening

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...

 defined by the moves:

1. d4 Nc6

This opening was tried by some hypermodern

Hypermodernism (chess)

Hypermodernism is a school of chess that emerged after World War I. It featured challenges on the chess ideologies presented by central European masters, such as on Wilhelm Steinitz’ approach to the centre. It also challenged in particular the dogmatic rules set down by Siegbert Tarrasch...

 players such as Aron Nimzowitsch

Aron Nimzowitsch

Aron Nimzowitsch was a Russian-born Danish unofficial chess grandmaster and a very influential chess writer...

 and Efim Bogoljubov, but it has never become very popular. The move 1...Nc6 is a fairly committal move which blocks Black's c–pawn; usually Black delays playing it until White's setup is clear.

Most games featuring 1.d4 Nc6 transpose to another opening. After 2.e4 the Nimzowitsch Defense arises. After 2.Nf3 d5 a variation of the Queen's Pawn Game

Queen's Pawn Game

In the most general sense the term Queen's Pawn Game can refer to any chess opening which starts with the move:It is the second most popular opening move. The name is now usually used to describe openings beginning with the moves 1.d4 d5 where White does not follow through with an early pawn...

 is possible. After 2.c4 d5 the opening is a Chigorin Defense

Chigorin Defense

The Chigorin Defense is a chess opening named for 19th century Russian grandmaster Mikhail Chigorin. An uncommonly played defense to the Queen's Gambit, it begins with the moves:The Chigorin Defense is a chess opening named for 19th century Russian grandmaster Mikhail Chigorin. An uncommonly...

.

There are some lines which are unique to 1.d4 Nc6, most importantly 2.d5 which chases the knight away, usually to e5. The opening resembles an Alekhine's Defence

Alekhine's Defence

Alekhine's Defence is a hypermodern chess opening that begins with the moves:Black tempts White's pawns forward to form a broad pawn centre, with plans to undermine and attack the White structure later in the spirit of hypermodern defence. White's imposing mass of pawns in the centre often includes...

 but on the opposite side of the board. In an opening book

Opening book

Chess opening book refers either to a book on chess openings, or to a database of chess openings used by chess programs.-Literature:Opening books, which discuss chess openings, are by far the most common type of literature on Chess play...

 by Sid Pickard, this variation was called the Bozo–Indian Defense – "Bozo" being a combination of the prefixes "Nimzo" and "Bogo".

Unless the game transposes to another opening, the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings code for the Queen's Knight Defense is A40.

The Queen's Knight Defense was featured (although not mentioned by name) in the season four episode of Chuck entitled "Chuck Versus the Family Volkoff

Chuck Versus the Family Volkoff

"Chuck Versus the Family Volkoff" is the 20th episode of the fourth season of Chuck, and the 74th overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Robert Duncan McNeill and written by Nicholas Wootton and Amanda Kate Shuman. It originally aired April 11, 2011.The episode has several...

".

Named variations

• Montevideo Retreat (2. d5 Nb8)
• Cannstatter Gambit (2. c4 e5 3. d5 Nd4)
• Lithuanian Variation (2. c4 e5 3. d5 Nce7)

Illustrative game

Erich Weinitschke

Erich Weinitschke

Erich Weinitschke was a German chess master.He took 10th at Bad Elster 1938 , took 4th at Bad Warmbrunn 1939 and won a play-off match against Heuaecker for the Silesian Champion title , tied for 13-14th at Bad Oeynhausen 1941 .-References:...

 vs Efim Bogoljubov, Bad Elster (Germany) 1938:

1.d4 Nc6 2.d5 Ne5 3.f4 Ng6 4.e4 e5 (this position more commonly occurs from the Nimzowitsch Defense

Nimzowitsch Defence

The Nimzowitsch Defence is a somewhat unusual chess opening, in which Black moves 1... Nc6 in reply to White's 1.e4. It is an example of a hypermodern opening where Black invites White to occupy the centre of the board at an early stage with pawns...

by 1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 e5 3.d5 Nce7 4.f4 Ng6) 5.f5 Qh4+ 6.Kd2 Qxe4 7.fxg6 Qxd5+ 8.Ke1 Qxd1+ 9.Kxd1 hxg6 10.Nc3 c6 11.Nf3 f6 12.Bd3 Ne7 13.Re1 d5 14.h3 e4 15.Bxe4 dxe4 16.Nxe4 Kf7 17.Bd2 Nf5 18.b3 g5 19.Ke2 Nd6 20.Nf2 Bf5 21.Nd4 Bg6 22.Kf1 Nf5 23.Ne2 Bc5 24.Ne4 Bb6 25.c4 Rad8 26.Red1 Rxd2 27.Nxd2 Ne3+ 0–1