1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6
Free video samples: Introduction and 3.e3
Renowned for its solidity and strategic soundness, it has been a cornerstone of the repertoires of elite grandmasters including Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi, who relied on it successfully in the Candidates Tournament.
The Petroff Defence has long been one of the most trusted weapons against 1.e4. Renowned for its solidity and strategic soundness, it has been a cornerstone of the repertoires of elite grandmasters including Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi, who relied on it successfully in the Candidates Tournament.
Sample Video: Introduction
Sample Video: 3.Nxe5 d6 - 4th Move Alternatives
With this double-edged opening, I played some enjoyable, inspired games, such as the one included below against Malte Markert (then Meyer). Those were days when I played chess with all my heart. So my curiosity was aroused when ChessBase advertised GM Fabien Libiszewski's new opening course. How playable is my "old love", the Chigorin Defence, in 2026? Have modern engines led to entirely new approaches, as they have in so many other openings?
Developing the knight to c6 is, in a sense, positionally suspect, as it blocks Black's own c-pawn. But the knight puts pressure on d4, supports …e7-e5, and …dxc4 can also be an idea. Libiszewski begins with a number of model games to convey what he calls the "Chigorin spirit": active play, tactical ideas and keeping the opponent busy.
The protagonists of these model games are mostly familiar names from Chigorin theory, including two games by Morozevich from the 2000s. But there is also a considerably more recent game, Aronian-Rapport, European Club Cup, Novi Sad 2016:
3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Nf3
Not a critical test. Apparently, even a world-class player like Levon Aronian can be caught off guard by the Chigorin!
5…e5!
6.dxe5 Bb4 7.Bd2 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Ba5
The pawn on e5 is weak, and Black has sufficient compensation for the pawn. Later, Rapport chased the opposing king across the board and won with an impressive attack. The complete game can be replayed below.
Dive into the fascinating world of the Sicilian Kalashnikov variation! We will uncover the secrets of this explosive opening from the very first moves: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5.
In the heart of the course, the theoretical section, Libiszewski largely follows traditional paths, but there are also surprises, such as the following:
3.cxd5 Qxd5 4.e3 e5 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bd2 Bxc3 There is no time to retreat the queen. In this opening, Black must play quickly and concretely.
7.Bxc3 exd4 8.Ne2 A highly tactical variation. In the past, Black tried, among other moves, 8…Bg4 9.f3 Bxf3, but this does not work particularly well. Better is 8…Nf6 9.Nxd4 0-0 10.Nb5
And now not 10…Qg5 (165 games), but, as Libiszewski shows, 10…Bg4! (6 games, three of them correspondence games). Black is fine. In the event of 11.f3, Black can offer the bishop with 11…Qg5, and the best lines lead to an engine evaluation of 0.00.
Objectively speaking, however, things are not quite so rosy for Black in every variation. According to Libiszewski, 3.Nf3 is the critical move. After 3…Bg4 play can continue with 4.cxd5 Bxf3 5.gxf3 Qxd5 6.e3 e5 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.Bd2 Bxc3 9.bxc3.
The French grandmaster makes no secret of the fact that, by engine standards, White is better thanks to the bishop pair and the central pawn mass. He shows how Black can nevertheless obtain practical chances – after all, it is not entirely clear where the white king will find safety in the medium term.
This interactive video course of over 8 hours, provides an in-depth exploration of the Pirc Defence, a favoured opening for people looking to play for the win with the black pieces.
This interactive video course of over 8 hours, provides an in-depth exploration of the Pirc Defence, a favoured opening for people looking to play for the win with the black pieces. Through a combination of key reference games and the analysis of a complete repertoire, this ChessBase Training video course helps you understand the essential themes, ideas, and resources needed to master this opening.
Free Video sample: Introduction
Free Video sample: Attacking like in the King's Indian Defence
Libiszewski briefly discusses a new approach, 3...e6:
Libiszewski has little sympathy for this move, which is not at all in the Chigorin spirit – Black abandons the typical ideas involving …Bg4 and …e7-e5. However, since 3…e6 is the engines' favourite, he still presents some ideas. Black wants either to play …dxc4 at a favourable moment, for example after 4.g3, or to find another way of solving the problem of the knight on c6 in the medium term. Incidentally, in their Chigorin course published on another platform in 2025, grandmasters Jobava and Basso concentrate on 3…e6 rather than 3…Bg4.
A nice bonus is that Libiszewski also covers 2.Nf3 Nc6 in the theoretical section, since 2.Nf3 is, of course, a common choice for avoiding certain concrete variations after 2.c4.
The knight blocks the c-pawn even though White has not yet offered anything with c2-c4. But the bishop can go to f5 or g4, and Black has some ideas: 3.g3 Bf5 4.Bg2 Nb4, forcing 5.Na3, is played at the very highest grandmaster level. 3.Bf4 occurred in one of the games in which I tested Libiszewski's repertoire in online blitz. As recommended by Libiszewski, play continued 3…Bg4 4.e3 e6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4, reaching a perfectly playable Ragozin-like position for Black.
Conclusion
In his course The Chigorin Defence: A Practical Weapon Against the Queen's Gambit, French grandmaster Fabien Libiszewski presents an active repertoire for Black against 1.d4 d5 2.c4. Chigorin players cannot expect objective equality in the critical variations – there is no point in fooling ourselves! Libiszewski openly acknowledges this and shows how Black can seek counterplay and pose practical problems for the opponent even in these lines.
Personally, I believe it makes sense for every ambitious player to have a practically unpleasant opening like the Chigorin in their repertoire. Not as a main system in classical chess, which the opponent can expect and prepare for at leisure, but as a surprise option to keep in reserve and as a weapon in faster time controls. That makes it a calculated risk, since hardly any opponent will be particularly well prepared for it when confronted with it unexpectedly.
We boldly confront the Caro-Kann Defense with the upcoming move 1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.d3!? With this highly strategic choice, we disrupt Black’s typical patterns and comfort zones and enter an early endgame full of chances for you.
The product was provided to the author by ChessBase.
About the author:
Fabien Libiszewski, born in 1984 in Saint-Étienne, is a French chess grandmaster, coach and author.
He earned the grandmaster title in 2009. He reached his peak rating of 2547 in 2016. In the same year, he served as captain of the French national team at the Chess Olympiad in Baku.
Libiszewski remains an active player and has regularly published training courses for ChessBase since 2018, particularly on various opening systems. He also worked as a chess consultant and actor on the feature film "Le Tournoi" in 2015.
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