Week 120: how to play the Modern Defense as Black, from one loss and one win
Only two games from May 26 to 28, 2026, both with Black, and the rating moved by one point: 1230 → 1231, one loss and one win. Both started with my usual Modern Defense setup: pawn to g6, pawn to d6, bishop to g7. So instead of a long list of games, this week is a close look at how to play the Modern Defense as Black, or at least how I play it at 1230, with one mistake the engine says to avoid and one idea it says to look for.
The week in numbers
| Games | 2 |
| Wins / losses / draws | 1 / 1 / 0 |
| Rating | 1230 → 1231 (+1) |
| Average accuracy | 77.3% |
| My blunders | 4 |
| Colour | Black in both |
| Openings | Queen's Pawn Opening (Modern setup), Modern Defense with 1 d4 |
From this week to the end of the series I played far fewer games: 2, 2, 3, 2, 5 and 2 in the last six weeks, compared with 6 to 14 a week in the seven weeks before. With so few games, each one weighs more, and each mistake gets a closer look.
The loss: a recapture that walked into a fork
Game 2101 against blundermaster_1 (1218). White played 1.d4 and 2.Bf4, I set up with g6, d6 and Bg7, and the game was level for a long time. On move 18 White's pawn had just taken on e5, and the engine had it about equal (−0.15). I had two ways to take back.
Bishop takes looks active: from e5 it attacks the b2 pawn with the rook behind it, and the bishop on h2. But White has pawn to f4, which attacks both my bishop on e5 and my queen on g5. That's a fork, and I can't save both. The evaluation jumped to +5.86. Pawn takes on e5 keeps my bishop at home on g7 and the game level. In the game White played exactly f4, I took the pawn with the bishop, White took it back, and the game ended on move 20 (game 2101). My opponent played 94.2% with no blunders. One mistake was enough.
The win: the long diagonal, then a missed central break
Game 2102 against hoangdo75 (1276), the highest-rated player I beat in these four months. White played 1.d4 g6 2.d5, and on move 4 White's bishop went to d2. That left the pawn on b2 unguarded on the long diagonal, and my bishop on g7 took it and then the rook on a1 by move 5. That's the long diagonal at work: from g7 the bishop sees all the way down to a1.
On move 13 I was still winning (−3.59), and the engine wanted the central break.
Pawn to e5 challenges White's pawn on d5. In the engine's line White takes en passant on e6, I take back with the f-pawn, and Black stays winning at −3.43. I played a5 instead, then a4, then a3, three pawn moves on the edge, and the evaluation came down to −1.49 after the first. When I finally pushed e5, on move 24, it was at the wrong moment: a blunder that took the evaluation to +4.60 for White. My opponent gave it back on the next move, and I won on time on move 38, with 93 seconds left on my clock after my last move (game 2102).
The lesson of the week
Two ideas for the Modern, both from the engine. First, the bishop on g7 does the heavy lifting in this setup (it won a rook in game 2102), so before I recapture with it, I check whether a pawn can attack it on its new square. In game 2101 a pawn could, and it attacked my queen too. Second, the central break with e5 is the move to look for when White's pawn sits on d5; pawn moves on the edge can wait. In game 2102 I played three of them first, and when I finally broke in the center it was at the worst moment.
All games this week
| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2101 | May 26 | Black | blundermaster_1 (1218) | Loss | Queen's Pawn Opening | 81.6% | game |
| 2102 | May 28 | Black | hoangdo75 (1276) | Win | Modern Defense with 1 d4 | 73.1% | game |
The week before is week 119, the week after is week 121, and the overview is on the journey hub. Your own Modern Defense games can get the same treatment: review your own games like this.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play the Modern Defense as Black?
In both my games this week I set up the same way: pawn to g6, pawn to d6 and the bishop to g7. The engine's advice in game 2102 was to follow that with the central pawn break e5 at the right moment; my slow pawn move on the queen's side instead cut my advantage from −3.59 to −1.49.
What is the point of the bishop on g7 in the Modern?
It looks down the long diagonal toward White's queen's side. In game 2102 White's fourth move left the b2 pawn unprotected, and my bishop took it and then the rook on a1 by move 5.
Is the Modern Defense good against 1.d4?
It worked against hoangdo75 (1276), the highest-rated opponent I beat between April and July. That game started 1.d4 g6 and I won on time on move 38.