Polish Defense

The Polish Defense is an opening in chess. It is classified under ECO code A40 and is among the Closed games.

It took its name from the Polish chess theorist Aleksander Wagner, who for the first time was to use in the tournament practice in 1913. It arises after the moves 1.d2 -d4 b7 - b5.

Ideas of this opening are:

• The development of women's bishop on b7 the field, from where it exerts a8 -h1 pressure on the white kingside on the diagonal, and especially the important field e4 controlled.
• Thanks to the farmers on b5 Black can fight for space advantage on the queenside.
• The black opening strategy does not require knowledge of forced long variants, so that more precise opening preparation of the opponent receives less importance.

Nonetheless, the practice shows that white after natural 2.e2 -e4! Can lc8 - b7 fight convenient to advantage by means of a structure of f2 -f3, Nb1 - d2 -d3 Lf1 or Lxb5.

In the 22nd game of the 1966 World Cup in Moscow, Boris Spassky played against defending champion Tigran Petrosian, the Polish defense and reached after about 20 trains balance, but then committed a fatal error and lost after 35 moves.