Gunderam Defense

The Gunderam Defense meets the attack on e5 with 2...Qe7. It avoids both 2...Nc6 and the Philidor's 2...d6. The queen holds the pawn, but it stands in front of the king's bishop, which then needs ...g6 or a later queen move to get out. Brazilian players know the line as the Brazilian Defense. When Black follows up with ...g6, ...Bg7 and ...Nf6 it is also called the Câmara Defense. One aim of the early queen sortie is an unbalanced game, with Black castling queenside while White's king usually goes short.

Two plans give the opening its content. Hélder Câmara used it to reach a King's Indian formation against 1. e4, with the bishop fianchettoed and the e5-pawn kept as a central anchor. Gerhart Gunderam instead preferred the ...f5 break, treating the line as a delayed Latvian Gambit. His main line was 3. Nc3 c6 4. Bc4 f5. He also analyzed the sharper 3. Bc4 f5 4. exf5 d5 5. Bxd5 Nf6 6. Bb3 Bxf5, in which Black gives up a central pawn for quick development and open lines. Against energetic play the King's Indian setup is hard to achieve in full. A slower approach with ...c6, ...d6 and then ...Bg4 or ...h6 is a more modest way to finish development.

3. Bc4 is the most frequent reply, aiming at f7 and discouraging ...f5. 3. Nc3 is next in popularity and gives White the best results of the main options. 3. d4 challenges the center at once and exposes the queen to tempo-gaining development. The engine rates all three as good and gives White a slight edge. In practice White scores somewhat better than Black, and draws are uncommon.

Câmara, an International Master, first played the move in 1954, at the São Paulo IV Centennial tournament and at the XXII Brazilian Championship. Gunderam first used it in a 1958 correspondence game against August Babel. In 1961 he published analysis of it in his book Neue Eröffnungswege under the name "Damenverteidigung". The opening then became common in Brazil's national championship for some years. In 1969 Washington de Oliveira wrote Notas Sobre a Defesa Brasileira, a study of Câmara's handling of it. Câmara later asked that it carry his name.