The Austrian Defence: A Dynamic Weapon for Black
Every strong player knows the reflex: you look at a position, count the material, and reach a verdict — until the board refuses to agree. GM Baadur Jobava describes exactly that reaction the first time he met the key endgame of this repertoire. White seems to hold a sound extra pawn, yet the two bishops tell a different story, and Black equalizes.
That quiet contradiction — the extra pawn that looks decisive and isn't — runs through the whole of The Austrian Defence: A Dynamic Weapon for Black. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c5, Black meets the Queen's Gambit not by accepting or declining it, but by answering one gambit with another.
One idea, every line
The repertoire rests on a single organizing principle: whenever the pawn lands on d5, Black recaptures with the knight. The move 3...Nf6 is the constant, holding the system together across every White try and keeping the theoretical load light.
And it really is light. In the critical endgame after 8...g6, Jobava notes that the ground is barely charted — only thirteen games exist at present. The position looks alarming for Black at first sight, which is precisely what makes it work in practice: the analysis is fresh, the paths are narrow, and the first impression misleads.
The author
GM Baadur Jobava is among the most inventive attacking players of his generation. His case for 2...c5 is practical: Black takes the initiative early, steers the game onto his own terms, and reaches positions where the bishop pair and active pieces answer White's material.
Players who like this counter-gambit approach against White's 1.d4 will find a natural companion in Fight the English Opening – Jobava's Repertoire, where Jobava teams up with GM Pier Luigi Basso to build a Black repertoire on similar principles against 1.c4.
Map of variations
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c5 3.cxd5 Nf6
4.e4 — the principled main line
- 4...Nxe4 5.dxc5 Qa5+ 6.Bd2 Nxd2 7.Qxd2 Qxd2+ 8.Nxd2 g6 9.Rc1 Bh6 10.Bb5+ Nd7 11.c6 bxc6 12.dxc6 Nb6 — bishop pair against the extra pawn → Chapters 7–8
4.Nf3 — the positional endgame try
- 4...cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nxd5 6.e4 Nf6 → Chapter 2
- 4...cxd4 5.Qa4+ Qd7 6.Qxd4 Qxd5 7.Nc3 Qxd4 8.Nxd4 a6 9.g3 e5 10.Nb3 Nc6 11.Bg2 a5 → Chapters 3–4
4.Nc3
- 4...Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 cxd4 7.cxd4 e5 — equality straight from the opening → Chapter 5
White avoids the main lines
3.dxc5 Nf6 — the same knight move, whatever White chooses
- 4.Nf3 e6 5.e3 Bxc5 → Chapter 9
3.Nf3 — the flexible move order → Chapter 10
What's inside
- 10 theory chapters with video instruction throughout
- Memory File — all 10 chapters condensed into one, with the key lines
- 5 Things to Know — the typical patterns and concepts of the repertoire
- 3 model games — the ideas shown in complete, high-level play
- 20 test positions — critical moments with tactical and strategic solutions
- 5 training positions for interactive practice against the engine
- Memory Booster — for long-term recall of the main ideas
- To-Go version of every chapter — condensed files for fast pre-game review
- Multilingual PGN — English, German, French and Spanish
Put it to work
The next time an opponent meets 1...d5 with 2.c4, you can get the initiative straight back and reach positions where you know the terrain and they don't. Explore The Austrian Defence: A Dynamic Weapon for Black and see why the pawn White thinks he has won is the one that never counts.