Modern Defense: Semi-Averbakh Variation
1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 g6 3.d4 Bg7 4.e4 Qb6
Semi-Averbakh Variation
1.2.3.4.
What Is The Semi-Averbakh Variation?
Qb6 hits d4 a second time before White has a piece defending it, so White resolves the centre at once or invites you onto b2. Push d5 and you get a Benoni structure where space belongs to White and you break with ...e6 or ...b5. Trade with dxc5 and you recapture with the queen, clearing the long diagonal and pointing the g7 bishop at b2.
The b2 pawn is bait rather than the plan: taking it costs you two or three moves while White develops with gain of time against the queen. Treat Qb6 as a tempo weapon: it forces the commitment, then the queen steps back to c7 once the structure is fixed. Games turn on whether White's space becomes a bind before your queenside breaks land.
The Named Lines Of The Semi-Averbakh Variation
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Polish Variation | 1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 g6 3.d4 Bg7 4.e4 Qb6 |
| Pterodactyl Variation | 1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 g6 3.d4 Bg7 4.e4 Qa5+ |
| Pterodactyl Variation Declined | 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.c4 c5 4.Nf3 d6 5.Be2 Qa5+ |
| Pterodactyl Variation Accepted | 1.Nf3 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.e4 d6 4.c4 c5 5.dxc5 Qa5+ |