Chess opening · ECO B00
Owen Defense
1...b6 is the Owen Defense's answer to 1.e4. Black leaves the center to White for now and gets ready to fianchetto the light-squared bishop on b7, where it stares down the a8-h1 diagonal at the e4 pawn and, behind it, the g2 square. White usually grabs the center with d4 and then has to decide how to keep e4 protected.
- Rank by weighted share
- #50 of 159
Key moves
1. e4 b6
- 1... b6The b-pawn steps forward one square to open b7 for the bishop. No black piece or pawn touches the center yet, so White can build a pawn duo on d4 and e4 with no resistance. Black is betting that the pressure on e4 will make that duo awkward to hold.
Holding e4 against the b7 bishop
After 2.d4 Bb7, the e4 pawn is attacked once and needs a defender. White has three natural choices: Bd3, Nc3 and f3. Bd3 is the quiet one, keeping the c3 square free for the pawn so White can later support d4 with c3.
Black often adds a second attacker with ...Nf6. If e4 is still well covered, Black switches to ...e6 and ...c5, striking at d4 from the side instead of meeting White head on in the middle.
What goes wrong after 3...f5
Hitting e4 with the f-pawn looks direct, but it loosens the black king. After 2.d4 Bb7 3.Bd3 f5 4.exf5 Bxg2 5.Qh5+ g6 6.fxg6, the h5-e8 diagonal is open because the f7 pawn has gone. If Black plays 6...Nf6, then 7.gxh7+ is a discovered check from the queen, and 7...Nxh5 8.Bg6 is mate. After 6...Bg7 7.gxh7+ Kf8, the pawn takes the g8 knight and promotes with check, though Black's g2 bishop still attacks the h1 rook.
A calm Bd3 setup
2. d4 Bb7 3. Bd3 e6 4. Nf3 c5 5. c3
White's bishop guards e4 and the c3 pawn backs up d4, so Black's ...c5 meets a firm chain. Black's pieces will come out with ...Nf6 and ...Be7, keeping the b7 bishop pointed at the white kingside.
Top replies by rating
d4 leads in every band and pulls further ahead as ratings rise. Against 1...b6, Bc4 gives way to the f4 push in the 1800 band and to Nc3 from 2000 up.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1200 | d4 33% | Nf3 20% | Bc4 15% |
| 1200–1399 | d4 34% | Nf3 25% | Bc4 11% |
| 1400–1599 | d4 38% | Nf3 26% | Bc4 12% |
| 1600–1799 | d4 48% | Nf3 23% | Bc4 10% |
| 1800–1999 | d4 61% | Nf3 18% | f4 6% |
| 2000 and up | d4 85% | Nf3 10% | Nc3 6% |
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.