The defense of Filidor is a strategy that has become one of the most important achievements of François-Andre Danican Filidor, thanks to which he perpetuated the memory of himself and his family name.
Although the prominent Frenchman was primarily famous for his opera and fervent musical comedies. However, he was very fond of chess and devoted a lot of time to this game. He was of the opinion that it was not worth the risk and rashly attack. His tactics were waiting, he gradually built his systematic offensive, leaving no chance for his opponents.
The essence of the strategy
The defense of Filidor is a stable chess opening with many possibilities for pawn moves. It is successfully used in response to 1.e4.
Despite the fact that there are a lot of variations in the arrangement of figures, there are a number of important factors:
- The king of the opponent should be cut off along the edge of the board.
- Your king must stand in front of the opponent's king, and only one square can separate them.
- An elephant protects him from the risk of the rear check.
When Filidor’s defense is used, black chess acquires a fairly strong status. Although the position is a bit cramped, it’s not easy for them to create successful reciprocal moves. For this reason, such a debut is not very popular, but many world-famous grandmasters still use this tactic from time to time.
Mat Legal
Filidor’s defense can fall into the “trap” if you apply the game strategy developed by Legal.
Legal de Kermur is a senior contemporary and teacher of the chess game Francois Filidora. Having lost only once to his talented student, throughout the rest of his life he held the position of the second strongest player in Paris.
The photo above shows an example of a possible arrangement of figures with the "Mat Legal".
Today there is also an upgraded version of this strategy. The difference from the legal version is that the updated one uses an extra white pawn.
Saint-Brie v. Legal: Party Record| 1 | e4 | e5 | |
| 2 | Nf3 | d6 | |
| 3 | Bc4 | Nc6 | |
| 4 | Nc3 | Bg4 | |
| 5 | N: e5 ?! | B: d1 ?? | Great idea, but a terrifying mistake. The advantageous queen apparently quite bewitched Mr. Saint-Brie. Now White’s brilliant idea is realized on the board, whereas after 5. ... N: e5 Black is left with an extra piece. |
| 6 | B: f7 + | Ke7 | |
| 7 | Nd5x! | | |
Saint-Brie was so much disappointed with his loss that he jumped out of the hall, without even having watched the final rout of White's crushing move.
Conclusion
Most often, White analyzes the strategy of the Filidor at the very end of the game, as during the game they are busy solving other problems. Often the rather weak-looking arrangement of black chess misleads the opponent, forcing him to relax and weakening his vigilance. White discovers that their position is losing when they no longer get out of the trap.
In chess, the application of this strategy carries some risks, but often they are justified, so many famous chess players take it into their arsenal.
Philidor’s defense in chess today continues to be a fairly strong tactic, often used even by world-class grandmasters.