Averbakh Variation, Modern Defense

The Modern Defense is Black's 6...Na6 against the Averbakh, a move associated with Judit Polgár. The knight develops without blocking the c8-bishop or the c-pawn and can later reach c5, a route familiar from other King's Indian lines with ...Na6. White usually answers 7. Qd2, when 7...c6 is the Burgess Line; 7. Nf3 and 7. h4 are the alternatives, the latter scoring poorly for White online. Engines give White a slight edge, though Black has scored well in practice.