Rat Defense: Small Center Defense is a chess opening with the ECO code C00, part of the Rat Defense family. It goes 1. d4 e6 2. e4 d6. White opens with 1. d4 (the queen's pawn) and Black answers 1... e6. After 4 moves it is White to move. The lesson on the board explains every move of the line and lets you play it yourself; it is free.
The moves
1. d4 – White plays the pawn to d4
1... e6 – Black plays the pawn to e6
2. e4 – White plays the pawn to e4
2... d6 – Black plays the pawn to d6
About the Rat Defense
An offbeat line where Black plays ...d6 and ...e5 early against 1.d4 (the English Rat). Black aims for a quick ...e5 central fight.
If White takes dxe5 dxe5, queens come off and the game is equal.
Black can later fianchetto with ...g6 and ...Bg7 like a King's Indian.
If White pushes d5, Black gets a closed game with ...f5 ideas.
chessGM