Robatsch

Robatsch refers to Ottó Robatsch, a chess grandmaster and opening theoretician who contributed to mid-20th-century chess development. He is best known for introducing and analyzing a flexible Black defense to 1.e4, now commonly called the Robatsch Defense or the Modern Defense. The system emphasizes hypermodern ideas: Black delays occupying the center with pawns and instead builds a solid, dynamic setup aimed at challenging White’s center from the flanks.

Ottó Robatsch was active in the mid-20th century and was associated with the Austrian chess scene after his move from Hungary. His work on the Modern Defense helped to popularize a class of openings that revolve around a fianchettoed bishop and a flexible pawn structure, allowing Black to adapt to White’s plans and transposing into related lines such as the Pirc Defense or certain configurations of the King’s Indian Defense.

The Robatsch/Modern Defense typically begins with 1.e4 g6, followed by …Bg7 and …Nf6, with Black aiming to control central squares from a distance. Black often continues with …d6 and …c6, and may undertake …e5, …d5, or quick …c5 breaks depending on White’s setup. The approach yields a variety of pawn structures and strategic plans, from solid, defensive setups to more proactive counterplay, and it can transpose into other flexible defenses in response to White’s second move.

In practice, the Robatsch has remained a viable choice at all levels, valued for its flexibility and its emphasis on piece play over immediate central tension. It is often studied for its generic ideas and transpositional potential, even as some players prefer more direct lines in the Modern/Pirc family.