Foxy Openings Chess DVD 108, 109 & 110 Modern Defense for Black

Foxy Openings Chess DVD 108, 109 & 110 Modern Defense for Black Foxy Openings: Modern Defense Repetoire for Black by Andrew Martin Parts 1-3 Running Time Total 7Hrs Prior to getting on with our review we need to note that The Modern is referred to as The Robatsch in Modern Chess Openings. This is to acknowledge the contribution of the Austrian Grand Master Karl Robatsch who was probably the first to play this series of moves seriously. To paraphrase Nigel Davies The Modern is a universal system that can be played against any white opening. It begins with a fianchetto of the KingGÇÖs bishop as 1GǪg6 2GǪBg7. It differs from the related Pirc which is played as 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6. So we see that there are set moves to the Pirc whereas Black can play the Modern against almost anything white throws at it. We need to be aware that black can transpose to a Pirc by playing GǪNf6. Actually, the Modern can transpose into a number of openings but is associated with the Pirc because many of the plans and attempts to defeat it have similar moves and have been given a similar nomenclature. The Modern was popularized by two English players; Colin McNab and David Norwood more than likely due to a book on the Modern by two Englishmen, Raymond Keene, and George Botterill. The former had played more than 50 rated games in this system while the latter barely a dozen. In the interim another three books and literally thousands of games have been played in this opening which has been given the recognition of its own Chess Informant code of B06.Its related opening has the Informant code of A42. The last public outing of the Modern in Tiger Hilarp PerssonGÇÖs treatise called TigerGÇÖs Modern where the author has literally played a couple of hundred games as black in the Modern. The series of DVDs by Andrew Martin picks up on these initial outings and tries to give some semblance of order to a system which almost defies it.