# Week 66: how to play the Modern Defense as Black (5 wins in 6 games)

> Week 66: 1265 → 1292 in 32 rapid games (16 W, 13 L, 3 D), a peak of 1317 and 5 wins in 6 Modern Defense games as Black.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w16/
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- Author: Ignacio Soler

This was the week the Modern Defense carried me. From April 14 to 20, 2025, I played **32 rapid games** and went from **1265 to 1292** (+27), with **16 wins, 13 losses and 3 draws**. On Sunday I touched **1317**, my highest rating since January. The engine of that climb was a single opening: with Black against 1.e4 I played the Modern Defense six times and won five. So this diary entry doubles as my honest notes on how to play the Modern Defense as Black at club level, including the parts where I got lucky.

## The week in numbers

| What | This week |
|---|---|
| Games | 32 (17 as Black, 15 as White) |
| Record | 16 W · 13 L · 3 D |
| Rating | 1265 → 1292 (+27); peak 1317, low 1264 |
| Average accuracy | 79.8% |
| Blunders flagged by Stockfish | 70 (my opponents: 73) |
| Most played | Modern Defense with 1.e4 (6), East Indian London System (3), Pirc Defense (3), Queen's Pawn Opening (3), Indian Game (2) |

The split by colour tells the story: 10 wins, 6 losses and a draw with Black, but only 6 wins, 7 losses and 2 draws with White.

## How I play the Modern Defense as Black

The Modern is simple to set up. White plays 1.e4, I answer with ...g6, put the bishop on g7 and let White take the center with pawns. Then I try to hit that center later with pieces and pawn breaks. In game 1451 against gulgulla (1273) the moves went 1.e4 g6 2.d4 d6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.Be3 Nf6 5.e5 dxe5 6.Nxe5 O-O, a typical start.

The six games: wins against gulgulla (1273), Gerrlad-MS (1287), rohan565 (1297), Markasteris (1301) and sa7d (1310), and one loss to Gajo83pl (1287). The win against sa7d was my cleanest, 93.2% accuracy and checkmate after 68 moves. The win against Gerrlad-MS was the opposite: 50.7% accuracy and six blunders, and I still won because he made six too. The opening didn't win those games by itself. It gave me positions I understood, and in a week where both sides blundered around 70 times, understanding the position was enough to come out ahead more often than not.

## Moment 1: my queen is inside, and I grab the wrong pawn

Game 1451 against gulgulla (1273), Black ([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137362755494)). My queen had already gone all the way to g2. White had just castled queenside, and the engine thought that was a big mistake: −4.48, Black is winning.

> **My queen is deep in White's camp. Grab a pawn, or move the queen with a threat?**
> Position (FEN): `r4rk1/ppp1ppb1/4b1p1/n6p/3P3P/2PBB3/P1PQNPq1/2KR3R b - - 1 15`
> Played: Bxa2 — Bishop takes the pawn on a2; White's rook can now come to g1 and attack my queen
> Better: Qd5 — Queen to d5 attacks the rook on h1 and the pawn on a2, which has no defender

I took the a2 pawn with my bishop, next to White's king. It looks aggressive, but my queen was still sitting on g2 without a defender, and White's rook could come to g1 and chase it. **Qd5** does both jobs at once: the queen gets out of danger and attacks the rook on h1 and the same a2 pawn. The evaluation dropped from −4.48 to −1.17, still better for me but no longer winning. I won anyway, by resignation on move 51.

## Moment 2: a bishop on the wrong square

Game 1452 against JCaraxx (1253), Black, an East Indian London ([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137367758574)). On move 10 I developed my last bishop to f5.

> **Move 10: develop the bishop, or strike in the center first?**
> Position (FEN): `r1bq1rk1/1pp1ppbp/p1np2p1/8/1n1P4/4PNBP/PPPNBPP1/R2QK2R b KQ - 1 10`
> Played: Bf5 — Bishop to f5, where White's pawn can attack it by moving to e4
> Better: e5 — Pawn from e7 to e5, into the center (about equal)

White played 11.e4, attacking the bishop, and after I retreated, 12.c3 attacked my knight on b4. The engine already had White at +5.40, which means the knight was lost one way or another; I took a pawn on a2 with it and White captured. The lesson for beginners: before putting a piece on a square, check whether a pawn can attack it. Pawns are the cheapest attackers, so a pawn attacking a piece always wins time. Despite being a piece down, I won when JCaraxx resigned on move 21. At 1250, games are rarely over when the engine says they are.

## Moment 3: the knight in front of the queen

Game 1453 against Fernandew (1293), Black, a Pirc ([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137367915922)). In the very next game I moved my queen to attack White's rook on a1.

> **My knight on f6 faces White's queen and rook on the same file**
> Position (FEN): `r4r2/ppp2pkp/5np1/4p3/2PqP3/3P1Q1P/P1P1B1P1/R4R1K b - - 5 15`
> Played: Qc3 — Queen to c3 attacks the rook on a1 and the c2 pawn, but White takes my knight on f6 with check
> Better: Nh5 — Knight from f6 to h5 (about equal)

My knight on f6 stood on the f-file in front of White's queen on f3, with White's rook on f1 behind it. White played **Qxf6+**: the queen took the knight with check, and my king couldn't take back because the rook on f1 now covered f6 along the open file. The evaluation went from −0.41 to +6.53 in one move, and I was checkmated later. Moving the knight to h5 kept the game about equal.

## The lesson of the week

All three moments come down to one question I didn't ask: what does my opponent attack after my move? The queen raid left my queen loose, the bishop walked into a pawn attack, and the queen move let White take my knight with check. The Modern Defense is a good choice for me because it leads to positions I understand, but understanding the plan is not the same as checking the position. The opening gets you to move 10. From there, every move needs the same quick check: checks, captures and attacks for the other side.

The end of the week is a footnote to that. After reaching 1317 on Sunday, I lost three in a row and finished at 1292.

## All games this week

| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1451 | Apr 14 | Black | gulgulla (1273) | Win | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 86.4% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137362755494) |
| 1452 | Apr 14 | Black | JCaraxx (1253) | Win | Indian Game East Indian London System | 74.4% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137367758574) |
| 1453 | Apr 14 | Black | Fernandew (1293) | Loss | Pirc Defense | 82.9% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137367915922) |
| 1454 | Apr 14 | White | Eliseesamal (1260) | Loss | Indian Game | 82.3% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137370256098) |
| 1455 | Apr 14 | White | Fadhl99 (1270) | Draw | Indian Game | 87.2% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137382569214) |
| 1456 | Apr 14 | White | srkibelisevo (1272) | Win | Indian Game East Indian London System | 91.3% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137385749816) |
| 1457 | Apr 14 | Black | drewbrew1988 (1254) | Win | Van 't Kruijs Opening | 93.1% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137386126382) |
| 1458 | Apr 15 | Black | Gajo83pl (1287) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 76.9% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137399637332) |
| 1459 | Apr 15 | White | Balaur654 (1256) | Win | London System | 95.2% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137403981816) |
| 1460 | Apr 15 | Black | Bahal1992 (1278) | Win | King's Indian Defense Zinnowitz Variation | 82.7% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137404065156) |
| 1461 | Apr 15 | Black | FrediFrechdachs2000 (1293) | Loss | Queen's Pawn Opening | 73.4% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137407885580) |
| 1462 | Apr 15 | White | Marinakant (1293) | Win | Queen's Pawn Opening | 90.9% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137416583792) |
| 1463 | Apr 15 | Black | Eslam_elashry (1320) | Loss | Pirc Defense | 75.7% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137423035254) |
| 1464 | Apr 16 | Black | Gerrlad-MS (1287) | Win | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 50.7% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137444629532) |
| 1465 | Apr 16 | White | Syedatif01 (1312) | Loss | Queen's Pawn Opening | 53.6% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137451578820) |
| 1466 | Apr 16 | Black | MagnusSiolemba (1286) | Draw | Indian Game East Indian London System | 73.1% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137459238972) |
| 1467 | Apr 17 | White | peterrocks815 (1313) | Loss | Englund Gambit | 66.6% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137477248616) |
| 1468 | Apr 17 | White | kokand24 (1271) | Win | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 94.6% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137486759960) |
| 1469 | Apr 17 | White | Moushach (1290) | Win | London System | 89.4% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137491165214) |
| 1470 | Apr 18 | Black | GM-Kuma (1301) | Win | Pirc Defense Classical Variation | 82.9% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137523037538) |
| 1471 | Apr 19 | Black | rohan565 (1297) | Win | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 74.2% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137544470360) |
| 1472 | Apr 19 | White | achanta4 (1328) | Draw | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 79.7% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137551439072) |
| 1473 | Apr 19 | White | jaydwarkesh (1311) | Loss | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 88.0% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137559903280) |
| 1474 | Apr 19 | Black | Hennadii_B (1329) | Loss | English Opening Great Snake Variation | 50.4% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137565321428) |
| 1475 | Apr 20 | Black | Markasteris (1301) | Win | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 76.4% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137581081326) |
| 1476 | Apr 20 | White | t2121s (1320) | Loss | Indian Game London System | 76.7% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137582319902) |
| 1477 | Apr 20 | White | kanvit (1272) | Win | Modern Defense with 1 d4 | 96.1% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137586572774) |
| 1478 | Apr 20 | Black | sa7d (1310) | Win | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 93.2% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137587277004) |
| 1479 | Apr 20 | Black | Fariisyo (1311) | Win | Pirc Defense | 83.8% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137591472870) |
| 1480 | Apr 20 | White | semigroup_ldn (1328) | Loss | Queen's Pawn Opening Accelerated London System | 77.3% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137591557276) |
| 1481 | Apr 20 | Black | perryMMV (1294) | Loss | King's Indian Defense Normal Variation | 76.3% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137594969102) |
| 1482 | Apr 20 | White | yar_1yarok (1317) | Loss | Queen's Pawn Opening Accelerated London System | 79.2% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/137601835828) |

← [Week 65](/journey/week-2025-w15/) · [Week 67](/journey/week-2025-w17/) → · [The whole journey, 631 to 1385](/journey/) · Curious how Claude reads your own games? See [can Claude analyze chess games](/answers/can-claude-analyze-chess-games/).

## FAQ

### How do you play the Modern Defense as Black?

In my games it starts with 1.e4 g6: the bishop goes to g7 and I let White build a pawn center before attacking it. In week 66 that setup gave me 5 wins and 1 loss, at ratings between 1272 and 1309.

### Is the Modern Defense good for beginners?

It gave me playable positions, but it didn't decide my games. In all three key moments of week 66 the problem was a tactic around moves 10 to 15: a pawn grab, a bishop a pawn could chase, and a knight left facing White's queen. The opening only gets you to a position.

### Why did my rating drop at the end of a good week?

Three losses in a row on Sunday, right after my high of 1317, took 25 points back. Two of them were Accelerated London games with White, not Modern Defense games.

## Related

- [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md)
- [Week 65 (Apr 2025): 68 blunders in 24 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w15.md)
- [Week 67 (Apr 2025): Zukertort Chigorin, 0 wins in 3 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w17.md)
- [Can Claude analyze chess games? Yes, with Stockfish](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/answers/can-claude-analyze-chess-games.md)