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Berlin Defence
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Berlin Defence
The Berlin Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
The Berlin is the second most popular reply (after 3...a6) to the Ruy Lopez for Black. Though it has a long history, it became particularly popular in the 21st century after Vladimir Kramnik successfully used it as a drawing weapon against Garry Kasparov in the Classical World Chess Championship 2000. The most common continuation is 4.0-0 Nxe4, the Open Berlin, which may be followed by 5.d4 or 5.Re1. The main alternative is 4.d3, the Anti-Berlin, where White gives up the possibility of playing d2-d4 in one move in order to prevent ...Nxe4.
Frequently in the Berlin Defence, the players exchange queens early, entering an endgame. The resulting endgames are generally viewed as equal or very slightly favourable for White; however, both sides can opt to avoid exchanging queens. Strategically, the Berlin Defence is often used as a drawing weapon by players who want to obtain a draw as Black, and by players who prefer to play defensively and reach endgames.
In the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, the opening is assigned codes C65–C67. The code C66 covers 4.0-0 d6. The code C67 covers 4.0-0 Nxe4. The code C65 covers all other continuations except 4.Nc3, which transposes to the Four Knights Game.
The Berlin Defence was first analysed in depth in the 19th century, and received its name from the Berliners that examined its variations. It was played eight times by Johannes Zukertort against Wilhelm Steinitz in the World Chess Championship 1886, the first official World Chess Championship. It also was played three times by Mikhail Chigorin in the World Chess Championship 1892, also against Steinitz. Steinitz won six of the eleven Berlin games in these championships, using the 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1 and 4.d3 lines. Emanuel Lasker was also a frequent practitioner of the Berlin Defence, making extensive use of it during his career.
Due to a perception of passivity, the opening declined in popularity. After the early 20th century, it was rarely used in high-level games and received little attention until the Classical World Chess Championship 2000, in which challenger Vladimir Kramnik used it as a drawing weapon against champion Garry Kasparov. Kramnik used the Berlin in games 1, 3, 9 and 13 in the match (each time as Black), all four of which were drawn. After losing the match, Kasparov cited Kramnik's superior opening preparation as a reason for his loss. In an interview with John Henderson, Kramnik described his use of the Berlin:
The Berlin Defence suited my strategy for the match. I had a defensive strategy – Actually, I had in my pocket some other sharper stuff to fall back on – but first I wanted to try the defensive strategy with Black and it worked so well. This was all new to Kasparov – he probably expected me to fight for equality with Black.
The 2000 match caused a resurgence of interest in the Berlin Defence at all levels of the game, such as its use by Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand in games 4, 6, 7 and 8 of the World Chess Championship 2013. It is now regarded as a solid opening for Black to use in order to achieve an equal endgame.
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Berlin Defence
The Berlin Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
The Berlin is the second most popular reply (after 3...a6) to the Ruy Lopez for Black. Though it has a long history, it became particularly popular in the 21st century after Vladimir Kramnik successfully used it as a drawing weapon against Garry Kasparov in the Classical World Chess Championship 2000. The most common continuation is 4.0-0 Nxe4, the Open Berlin, which may be followed by 5.d4 or 5.Re1. The main alternative is 4.d3, the Anti-Berlin, where White gives up the possibility of playing d2-d4 in one move in order to prevent ...Nxe4.
Frequently in the Berlin Defence, the players exchange queens early, entering an endgame. The resulting endgames are generally viewed as equal or very slightly favourable for White; however, both sides can opt to avoid exchanging queens. Strategically, the Berlin Defence is often used as a drawing weapon by players who want to obtain a draw as Black, and by players who prefer to play defensively and reach endgames.
In the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, the opening is assigned codes C65–C67. The code C66 covers 4.0-0 d6. The code C67 covers 4.0-0 Nxe4. The code C65 covers all other continuations except 4.Nc3, which transposes to the Four Knights Game.
The Berlin Defence was first analysed in depth in the 19th century, and received its name from the Berliners that examined its variations. It was played eight times by Johannes Zukertort against Wilhelm Steinitz in the World Chess Championship 1886, the first official World Chess Championship. It also was played three times by Mikhail Chigorin in the World Chess Championship 1892, also against Steinitz. Steinitz won six of the eleven Berlin games in these championships, using the 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1 and 4.d3 lines. Emanuel Lasker was also a frequent practitioner of the Berlin Defence, making extensive use of it during his career.
Due to a perception of passivity, the opening declined in popularity. After the early 20th century, it was rarely used in high-level games and received little attention until the Classical World Chess Championship 2000, in which challenger Vladimir Kramnik used it as a drawing weapon against champion Garry Kasparov. Kramnik used the Berlin in games 1, 3, 9 and 13 in the match (each time as Black), all four of which were drawn. After losing the match, Kasparov cited Kramnik's superior opening preparation as a reason for his loss. In an interview with John Henderson, Kramnik described his use of the Berlin:
The Berlin Defence suited my strategy for the match. I had a defensive strategy – Actually, I had in my pocket some other sharper stuff to fall back on – but first I wanted to try the defensive strategy with Black and it worked so well. This was all new to Kasparov – he probably expected me to fight for equality with Black.
The 2000 match caused a resurgence of interest in the Berlin Defence at all levels of the game, such as its use by Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand in games 4, 6, 7 and 8 of the World Chess Championship 2013. It is now regarded as a solid opening for Black to use in order to achieve an equal endgame.