Owen's Defence
chess opening 1. e4 b6
Owen's Defence (also known as the Queen's Fianchetto Defence) is an uncommon chess opening defined by the moves:
1. e4 b6
It is named after John Owen. It is also frequently reached with the move order 1.d4 b6 2.e4. By playing 1...b6, Black prepares the fianchetto of the queen's bishop where it participates in the battle for the centre. The downside of this plan is that White can occupy the centre with pawns and gain a spatial advantage. Moreover, 1...b6 does not prepare kingside castling as 1...g6 does, and it is harder for Black to augment their pressure against the centre with ...f5, which weakens the kingside, than it is to play the corresponding move ...c5 after 1...g6. Owen's Defence accordingly has a dubious reputation.
Owen's Defence is classified as code B00 by the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings.
History
The 17th-century writings of Gioachino Greco contain three games featuring 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7.
The first master-strength player to employ 1.e4 b6 on a regular basis was the 19th-century vicar and strong amateur chess player John Owen, the namesake of the opening.
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