The most popular Black defense to 1.e4 is the
Sicilian, but the
French and the
Caro–Kann are also very popular. The
Pirc and the
Modern are also commonly seen, while the
Alekhine and the
Scandinavian have made occasional appearances in
World Chess Championship games. The
Nimzowitsch is playable but rare, as is
Owen's Defense. The
Borg Defense and the
St. George Defense are oddities, although
Tony Miles once used St. George's Defense to defeat then World Champion
Anatoly Karpov. The Sicilian and French Defenses lead to unbalanced positions that can offer exciting play with both sides having chances to win. The Caro-Kann Defense is solid as Black intends to use his c-pawn to support his center (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5). Alekhine's, the Pirc and the Modern are
hypermodern openings in which Black tempts White to build a large center with the goal of attacking it. ==List==