Guatemala Defense

The Guatemala Defense replaces the usual 2...Bb7 of the Owen Defense with 2...Ba6, offering to exchange White's light-squared bishop at once. Joel Benjamin and Eric Schiller find some logic in the idea, since that bishop often troubles Black in many openings. Andrew Soltis was far less charitable and saw the move mainly as a way to leave the book early. The most common reply, chosen in nearly half of games, is 3. Bxa6 Nxa6. Black's knight then sits on the rim, the queenside light squares are weakened, and Black has spent tempi while White keeps a broad pawn center on d4 and e4. White can also decline the trade with 3. Nc3 or 3. c4. Engines rate the position as a large advantage for White, although online results are much closer.

The line was devised by the Guatemalan player Roberto Asturias and examined further by his compatriots David Vela and Hans Cohn. Why the name refers to Guatemala in particular is not clear. Benjamin and Schiller used the name in 1987 and may have coined it. The variation remains very rarely played, and a correspondence game played in 1989 is among the early recorded examples.