Horwitz Defense

The Horwitz Defense (1.d4 e6), also called the Franco-Indian Defence, is a flexible reply to 1.d4. It has little independent significance: Black keeps the choice between the French Defense, the Indian defences, the Dutch Defense and several others, and the game usually transposes to one of them.

Origins

The name Franco-Indian comes from the fact that the move may lead to the French or to one of the Indian defences. Author Eric Schiller proposed the name Horwitz Defence after the German master and writer Bernhard Horwitz (1807–1885), who played it against Daniel Harrwitz between 1849 and 1852. English grandmaster Simon Williams often uses 1.d4 e6 to reach a Dutch Defence while avoiding the Staunton Gambit (1.d4 f5 2.e4).

The idea

1...e6 keeps Black's options open and waits for White's second move. Against 2.c4 Black can choose almost any 1...e6 system; one of the few independent lines is 2...Bb4+, the Keres Defence.

Main lines

• 2.e4 transposes to the French Defense.
• 2.c4, when Black can choose:
  • 2...d5, the Queen's Gambit Declined;
  • 2...Nf6, heading for the Nimzo-Indian, Queen's Indian or Bogo-Indian defences;
  • 2...f5, the Dutch Defense;
  • 2...b6, the English Defense;
  • 2...Bb4+, the Keres Defence (Kangaroo Defense in this database), where White usually plays 3.Bd2 to avoid a Nimzo-Indian;
  • 2...c5, leading to a Benoni after 3.d5 or to an English Opening after 3.Nf3.
• 2.Nf3 offers a similar range of transpositions while avoiding 2...Bb4+.
• 2.g3 may also lead to the Catalan Opening.
• 2.Bf4 is usually played to reach a London System.

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

• Very flexible: Black can steer the game toward a favourite system.
• Avoids gambits such as the Staunton Gambit against the Dutch.

Weaknesses

• White keeps options too: after 2.e4 Black must be ready to play a French Defense.
• Black has to know the systems it transposes to.

Who should play it

The Horwitz suits Black players with a French or Dutch repertoire who want to keep White guessing, or who want to reach the Dutch without allowing the Staunton Gambit.

The numbers

On Lichess White wins about 51% at every level: 50.9% against 45.1% under 1400, 51.2% against 44.8% at 1400–1799, 51.0% against 43.9% at 1800–2199 and 50.0% against 42.6% from 2200 up. In about 41,700 master games White won 34.5%, Black 24.7%, and 40.8% were drawn.