Marshall Defence

A rarely seen opening at the higher levels of chess. Black's knight defends the d5 square, but if white exchanges pawns, it is not too difficult to later gain a tempo by attacking the piece on d5. However, this defense may not be as bad as it seems. After 3. cxd5, black can play 3... c6. In this case, it is best for white to accept the gambit and now, black has a lead in development after 4. dxc6 Nxc6, giving at least partial compensation for the pawn. Usually, in the middlegame that follows, white gets a small advantage, but black usually holds out just fine. Even into the endgame, black may have chances for a draw, despite being a pawn down.