User:Matthew Yeager/Testing1

In chess, fianchetto (/ˌfiən'kɛto/ Italian "engagement", a diminutive of "fianco", a flank ) is the act of developing the bishop to the second rank of the adjacent knight file, the knight pawn having been moved one or two squares forward. The first modern development of the fianchetto was described by Giambattista Lolli in 1763. Many Indian systems focus on hypermodern theories which consist of a fianchettoed bishop, therefore the bishop is sometimes referred to as an Indian bishop.

Advantages
The bishop is placed on one of the largest diagonals, lengthening its' scope while pressuring any development in the center. Originally these ideas were first adopted by the English school of chess, where focus was placed on flank play, also referred to as wing play, control of the center and the fianchetto. In the early 1900's, the fianchetto was adopted as the primary tool in the Hypermodern school of chess, which similarly relied on flank pressure to control the center.

The fianchetto is also a staple of many "hypermodern" openings, whose philosophy is to delay direct occupation of the center with the plan of undermining and destroying the opponent's central outpost. It also regularly occurs in Indian defences, so-called since fianchettoing was the standard practice in chess as it was played in ancient India. The fianchetto is not usually considered appropriate in open games (1.e4 e5).

One of the major benefits of the fianchetto is that it often allows the fianchettoed bishop to become more active. Because the bishop is placed on a long diagonal (either h1-a8 or a1-h8), it controls a wide range of squares and has the potential to become a powerful offensive weapon.

Disadvantages
However, a fianchettoed position also presents some opportunities for the opposing player: if the fianchettoed bishop can be exchanged, the squares the bishop was formerly protecting will become weak and can form the basis of an attack (particularly if the fianchetto was performed on the king-side). Therefore, exchanging the fianchettoed bishop should not be done lightly, especially if the enemy bishop of the same colour is still on the board.

Variants
The diagram to the right shows three different sorts of fianchetto. White's king's bishop is in a regular fianchetto, with the knight-pawn advanced one square and the bishop occupying the long diagonal. This is by far the most common type of fianchetto, seen in the Sicilian Dragon, Pirc Defence, Benoni Defence, and Benko Opening among many others.

Black's queen's bishop is also fianchettoed, but the knight pawn has moved forward two squares, making this a long fianchetto. The b-pawn also controls the c4 square, which is often advantageous. If White plays the King's Indian Attack 1. Nf3 2. g3, Black may play a long queen's fianchetto to oppose White's bishop and make it more difficult for White to play a c4 pawn break. The long fianchetto on the kingside is more rarely played, because it weakens the pawn shield in front of the castled position, and controls a less important square. Nevertheless, Grob's attack 1.g4?! and the Borg defense 1. e4 g5?! — as in "reversed Grob" — are sometimes played by free spirits like IM Michael Basman.

White's queen's bishop has moved out to a3 in what is sometimes called an extended fianchetto. Rather than control the long diagonal, it takes aim at Black's f8 square. If Black moves his e-pawn, White can play Bxf8, after which Black will have to waste time on artificial castling after recapturing with his king. This tactic is often seen in the Evans Gambit, and gives the Benko Gambit much of its bite. Black often plays Ba6 in the French Defence, and the Queen's Indian Defence if White plays g3 in order to fianchetto his own bishop (Aron Nimzowitsch's move against the Classical variation).