Panov Attack, Modern Defense, Mieses Line

The Mieses Line arises in the Modern Defense of the Panov Attack, also known as the Panov-Botvinnik Attack, when Black meets 6. Nf3 with 6...Bg4. The bishop pins the knight that guards d4, so it and the c6-knight work together against White's center. Black also develops the queen's bishop outside the pawn chain before committing to ...e6. The drawback is that the bishop leaves the queenside. As a result, b7 and the pawn on d5, which has no pawn support, become the points White aims at.

White's most frequent reply is 7. cxd5, which takes on d5 at once and opens lines toward those weaknesses. It is also White's best-scoring choice in the Lichess database. 7. Be2 blocks the line of the pin and prepares castling. 7. Be3 bolsters d4 directly, and Black has scored slightly better against it. 7. Bg5 is another playable option. The engine rates the position as roughly balanced and lists 7. Be3, 7. Bg5 and 7. cxd5 as its top moves. Overall results lean slightly toward White, and draws are uncommon.