Modern Defense
The hypermodern Modern Defense — meet 1.e4, 1.d4, or 1.c4 with 1...g6, fianchetto the bishop, and counterattack White's center from afar.
One opening that works against everything White can throw at you. The Modern Defense (1...g6) lets Black sidestep heavy theory, fianchetto the dark-squared bishop, and provoke an over-extended White center that becomes a target. Used by Tiger Hillarp Persson, Hikaru Nakamura, and countless club players who want flexibility over memorization. This 7-drill course covers the Tiger's Modern with ...a6, the dangerous 150 Attack with Be3 and Qd2, the Austrian Attack with f4, classical Bc4 systems, the Hippopotamus-style setup, and Modern setups against 1.d4 and 1.c4. By the end you'll know exactly what to play on move 1 — regardless of what White does.