St. George Defense

The St. George Defense, 1. e4 a6, is also known as Baker's Defense, the Birmingham Defense and the Basman Counterattack. Its approach is hypermodern. Black lets White build a broad pawn center and turns to the queenside, aiming for ...b5 and ...Bb7 to bear down on e4, often joined by ...Nf6. The a-pawn move also keeps a white bishop off b5. The engine gives White a modest edge, but in online play Black's results are only slightly behind White's.

The most common reply is 2. d4, which takes the full center, followed by 2. Nf3 and 2. Bc4. The bishop move contains a trap: 2...b5? runs into 3. Bxf7+ Kxf7 4. Qh5+, and White wins the rook on a8. White can stop ...b5 directly with 2. c4 or 2. a4, but both are considered inferior because of 2...e5, after which Black is thought to stand slightly better.

Most theory follows 2. d4 b5 3. Nf3 Bb7 4. Bd3, and Black then chooses a setup. The Polish Variation, 4...e6, usually continues 5. O-O Nf6 and keeps ...c5 in reserve against White's center. With 4...d6 Black prefers a more closed game. The San Jorge Variation, 5. O-O g6 6. c3 Bg7, adds a kingside fianchetto to the bishop on b7. The Neo-Spanish Variation, 5. O-O Nf6 6. Nbd2 Nbd7 7. Re1 e5, imitates the Ruy Lopez and can reach a structure typical of the Breyer Defense. White can instead challenge the b-pawn at once with 3. c4, the Three Pawns Attack or St. George Gambit. After 3...e6 4. cxb5 axb5 5. Bxb5 Bb7, Black has given up a pawn for pressure on e4 and open lines on the queenside. The Zilbermints Gambit, 2. d4 e5, strikes at the center immediately. Black can also follow ...a6 with ...e6 and ...d5, reaching French-like structures in which the extra queenside move speeds up counterplay.

The earliest known game with the opening was a simultaneous exhibition on 11 December 1868, in which the English amateur J. Baker defeated Wilhelm Steinitz. The English IM Michael Basman did much of its theoretical development. Its best-known success came at the 1980 European Team Championship in Skara, where Tony Miles beat the reigning World Champion Anatoly Karpov with it. The name Birmingham Defense, after Miles's hometown, dates from that game. Boris Spassky reached the opening by transposition from 1. d4 b5 in the 22nd game of his 1966 title match with Tigran Petrosian, and lost.