How To Master The Hungarian Opening

Everyone's familiar with the classic starting moves e4 and d4.

But do you know how to respond when your opponent plays g3, preparing a Kingside fianchetto?

In this week's email, you'll learn the common moves of the Hungarian Opening so you know how to play or beat it.

So, I hope you're 'Hungary' for some juicy chess tips... here we go.
​(I'll see myself out)

P.S. Haven't grabbed yourself 1000 free Scandinavian Defense puzzles yet? Here's a link to do so.​

Hungarian Opening
​1. g3

The Hungarian Opening is the 5th most popular opening move in chess. The intention, as you'll have guessed if you've ever touched a Bishop, is to prepare a fianchetto on the Kingside and strike the center from a distance.

The early fianchetto makes it the epitome of a hypermodern opening, offering a flexible, strategically rich alternative to the more direct e4 and d4 opening moves. Players who use the Hungarian tend to prefer strategy over tactics, which is worth keeping in mind as you play.

♟️ Prepares a Kingside fianchetto
♟️ Controls the center from a distance
♟️ Establishes a solid structure for early castling

Let's take a look at some primary variations.

Of course, the two most popular responses are Black taking control of the center with a pawn. d5 occurs more often with slightly lower odds of Black winning, maybe due to the pawn being in the line of fire of White's coming Bishop (even if it is supported by the Queen).

White almost always fianchettoes the Bishop after either move (or any move, really), given that's the point of the initial g3 move.

Following that, Black proceeds with standard central development, giving White slower, flexible development options. Typically this involves moving a pawn to the third rank or developing the Kingside Knight to prepare for a future castle.

Below are some possible positions.

Pawn Center
​About 1/3rd of games

Standard opening principles encourage Black to develop the center with pawns. If given space to do so, this will often be the case.

In the case of the Hungarian Opening, White's best response is typically d3 or the more uncommon and aggressive d4, both retaining White's 50% win rate odds. Slower development options are more common here, allowing players of this opening to build their defenders/attackers before any exchanging happens.

Other options for White to move include b3 (49% win rate), e3 (50% win rate), or Nf3 (49% win rate). d3 and e3 claim some central space and allow for future support of pieces, while b3 prepares a Queenside fianchetto for that omnidirectional laser beaming.

Personally, if you're playing this opening, I don't like Nf3. The popular pawn push to d4 either locks up the position by moving the Knight to d4, or causes White's win rate to tank by either a) losing the piece or b) moving to an unfavourable square like the edge of the board.

3. d3

3. b3

3. e3

Time for a pit stop

Here's a quick rest to refresh your brain before continuing - your weekly chess meme.

Get it... the Hungarian Opening... HUNGARY... I tried.

And now, back to your regular scheduled programming...

Pawn Support

The other main alternative to claiming the center is supporting the established pawn, following the theory of having more attackers/defenders than your opponent.

Instead of the d5 pawn having a single attacker and defender, Black adds a defender while developing a piece to claim an advantage.

This is either Nf6, bringing out a Knight and supporting the pawn while keeping e5 and c5 flexible, or simply c6/e6 to form a pawn chain.

3. Nf6

3. c6

3. e6

Why play this opening?

While being played only 2% of the time, the Hungarian Opening creates slower, passive play while establishing a solid structure.

If you're the type of player who prefers strategy without heavy theory memorisation, or if you like catching opponents off guard while maintaining stable positions, it might be a good opening to try.

It's a highly flexible opening, able to easily transpose into other openings, but does put White into a more reactive state, allowing Black to take the lead early in the game.

Want help mastering it?

If you'd love to learn the g3 line and the resulting popular responses, then our Hungarian Opening chess cheat sheet is a must-get. This 20-page guide contains everything you need to master it once and for all. Take your opening to the next level by clicking the button below. Shop Now

And here's something new - you know how I released those free Scandinavian Defense puzzles? Well, I've got a whole lot more - this time for the Hungarian Opening. You can grab your own set using the button below. Learn More

What are your thoughts?

Switching it up once again. You're used to it if you've read this far.

And if you have, you're among the few who care - so I'd truly love to know what you think. Just hit that reply button and share your thoughts.

I'll be back next Tuesday with another chess opening...
Until then, keep climbing!

James
Chess Cheat Sheets
​info@chesscheatsheets.com​
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