Franco-Indian Defence

The Franco-Indian Defence (also Horwitz Defence) is a chess opening defined by the moves:

1. d4 e6
Franco-Indian Defence
abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
b8 black knight
c8 black bishop
d8 black queen
e8 black king
f8 black bishop
g8 black knight
h8 black rook
a7 black pawn
b7 black pawn
c7 black pawn
d7 black pawn
f7 black pawn
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
e6 black pawn
d4 white pawn
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
c2 white pawn
e2 white pawn
f2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
b1 white knight
c1 white bishop
d1 white queen
e1 white king
f1 white bishop
g1 white knight
h1 white rook
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Moves1.d4 e6
ECOA40
Origin19th century
Named after
ParentQueen's Pawn Game
Synonym(s)Horwitz Defence

This response to White's 1.d4 is so named "because it may lead to the French Defence, or to one of the Indian Defences; it may, however, take a different course."[1] Alternatively, author Eric Schiller has proposed the name "Horwitz Defence", after the German chess master and writer Bernhard Horwitz (1807–1885), who played it against Daniel Harrwitz between 1849 and 1852.[2][3]

The opening has little independent significance and is likely to transpose into other openings. English grandmaster Simon Williams often uses 1.d4 e6 as a way of playing for the Dutch Defence while avoiding the Staunton Gambit (1.d4 f5 2.e4!?).[4][5] One of the few independent lines is the Keres Defence (1.d4 e6 2.c4 Bb4+), where White usually plays 3.Bd2, avoiding a transpostion to the Nimzo-Indian Defence; however, transpositions to other openings such as the Bogo-Indian Defence are still possible.

The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings code for the Franco-Indian Defence is A40.

Common transpositions

See also

References
  1. Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1996) [First pub. 1992], "Franco-Indian Defence", The Oxford Companion to Chess (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 144, ISBN 0-19-280049-3
  2. "CHESSGAMES.COM * Chess game search engine". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  3. Schiller, Eric (1998), Unorthodox Chess Openings (1st ed.), Cardoza Publishing, p. 196, ISBN 0-940685-73-6
  4. "Review: The Aggressive Classical Dutch". Chess News. 2019-01-22. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  5. Williams, Simon (2003). Play the Classical Dutch. London, England: Gambit Publications. ISBN 978-1901983883.
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