Modern Defense · B06

Norwegian Defense

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Nf6

...g6 before anything: maximum flexibility, the g7 bishop as the anchor, and the pawn breaks chosen only after White commits.

The first 4 moves, explained

• 1. e4 Stakes a claim in the centre, controlling d5, and frees the bishop and queen.
• 1... g6 Prepares the fianchetto: the bishop will take the long diagonal via g7. Theory calls this the Modern Defense.
• 2. d4 Stakes a claim in the centre, controlling e5, and frees the bishop and queen.
• 2... Nf6 Develops the knight to f6, eyeing d5 and e4. Theory calls this the Norwegian Defense.

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