- Fianchetto
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rl|nl| |ql|kl| |nl|rl|=|Inchess the fianchetto (/ˌfiən'kɛto/ Italian "little flanking") is a pattern of development wherein a bishop is developed to the second rank of the adjacent knight file, the knight pawn having been moved one or two squares forward.The fianchetto is a staple of many "hypermodern" openings, whose philosophy is to delay direct occupation of the center with the plan of undermining and destroying the opponent's central outpost. It also regularly occurs in
Indian defence s, so-called since fianchettoing was the standard practice in chess as it was played in ancientIndia . The fianchetto is less common in open games (1.e4 e5,) but the King's bishop is sometimes fianchettoed by Black in theSpanish Game or by White in an uncommon variation of theVienna Game .One of the major benefits of the fianchetto is that it often allows the fianchettoed bishop to become more active. Because the bishop is placed on a long diagonal (either h1-a8 or a1-h8), it controls a lot of squares and can become a powerful offensive weapon. However, a fianchettoed position also presents some opportunities for the opposing player: if the fianchettoed bishop can be exchanged, the squares the bishop was formerly protecting will become weak and can form the basis of an attack (particularly if the fianchetto was performed on the king-side). Therefore, exchanging the fianchettoed bishop should not be done lightly, especially if the enemy bishop of the same colour is still on the board.
The diagram to the right shows three different sorts of fianchetto. White's king's bishop is in a regular fianchetto, with the knight-pawn advanced one square and the bishop occupying the long diagonal. This is by far the most common type of fianchetto, seen in the Sicilian Dragon,
Pirc Defence ,Benoni Defence , andBenko Opening among many others.Black's queen's bishop is also fianchettoed, but the knight pawn has moved forward two squares, making this a long fianchetto. The b-pawn also controls the c4 square, which is often advantageous. If White plays the
King's Indian Attack 1. Nf3 2. g3, Black may play a long queen's fianchetto to oppose White's bishop and make it more difficult for White to play a c4 pawn break. The long fianchetto on the kingside is more rarely played, because it weakens the pawn shield in front of the castled position, and controls a less important square. Nevertheless,Grob's attack 1.g4?! and theBorg defense 1. e4 g5?! — as in "reversed Grob" — are sometimes played by free spirits likeInternational Master Michael Basman .White's queen's bishop has moved out to a3 in what is sometimes called an extended fianchetto. Rather than control the long diagonal, it takes aim at Black's f8 square. If Black moves his e-pawn, White can play Bxf8, after which Black will have to waste time on
artificial castling after recapturing with his king. This tactic is often seen in theEvans Gambit , and gives theBenko Gambit much of its bite. Black often plays Ba6 in theFrench Defence , and theQueen's Indian Defence if White plays g3 in order to fianchetto his own bishop (Aron Nimzowitsch 's move against the Classical variation).References
* Citation
surname1=Hooper|given1=David|authorlink1=David Vincent Hooper
surname2=Whyld|given2=Kenneth|authorlink2=Kenneth Whyld
title=The Oxford Companion to Chess
year=1992
edition=second
publisher=Oxford University Press
ID=ISBN 0-19-866164-9* Citation
surname1=Golombek|given1=Harry|authorlink1=Harry Golombek
title=Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess
year=1977
publisher=Crown Publishing
ID=ISBN 0-517-53146-1
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