Fianchetto
A fianchetto is the setup where a bishop sits on b2, g2, b7 or g7 behind a pawn that has moved one square, so that it eyes the long diagonal from a distance.
The name comes from an Italian word meaning little flank, and the picture is of a bishop tucked behind a knight-file pawn instead of standing in front of its pawns. After g3 and Bg2 (or ...g6 and ...Bg7) the bishop looks along the board's longest diagonal from far away, pressing on the center and the opposite corner while few enemy pieces can challenge it.
The bishop also becomes part of the king's cover. Beside a castled king it guards the squares around it, and the pawn in front of it stays on its own file. In exchange, f3 and h3 (or f6 and h6) lose their pawn guard, so trading off the fianchettoed bishop can leave real holes on those squares.
Fianchettos suit setups in which you let the opponent build a center and then attack it, as in the King's Indian, the Catalan and the English. They work only while the diagonal stays open. A pawn on e4 or d5 can shut it, and then the bishop is mostly a defender. A knight on f3 also blocks the bishop on g2 until it moves.
A practical rule: before choosing the setup, name the pawn break that will free the bishop, and keep the bishop unless you get something concrete in return.
Also worth reading is Fianchetto setup. A fianchetto setup is a whole formation built around a bishop on a long diagonal, typically pawn to g3, bishop to g2, knight to f3 and short castling, used by either color in many openings.
Compare it with Hypermodern opening. A hypermodern opening is a bet that a pawn center can be undermined: the player develops pieces to the flanks, often with fianchettoed bishops, allows the opponent's pawns into the middle, and hits them later with pawn breaks.
Compare it with Pawn shield. A pawn shield is the group of pawns standing directly in front of a castled king, typically on the f, g and h files or the a, b and c files, that blocks enemy lines and covers the squares ahead of the king.
Strategic ideas such as "Fianchetto" show up in your games as small decisions, move after move. A first lesson with George Li reviews those decisions and turns them into a study plan.
Related terms
A fianchetto setup is a whole formation built around a bishop on a long diagonal, typically pawn to g3, bishop to g2, knight to f3 and short castling, used by either color in many openings.
A hypermodern opening is a bet that a pawn center can be undermined: the player develops pieces to the flanks, often with fianchettoed bishops, allows the opponent's pawns into the middle, and hits them later with pawn breaks.
A diagonal is the slanting path a bishop travels, a straight run of squares of a single color from one edge of the board to a neighboring edge, also used by the queen and by a pawn when it captures.
The bishop moves any number of squares along a diagonal, as long as no piece stands in the way, so each bishop stays on one color of square for the entire game.
A pawn shield is the group of pawns standing directly in front of a castled king, typically on the f, g and h files or the a, b and c files, that blocks enemy lines and covers the squares ahead of the king.
Openings where it occurs
Guides that go further
What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.
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