Strategy
What Is a Fianchetto in Chess? Strategy and Openings
A fianchetto is a particular way of developing a bishop. Instead of coming out along its starting diagonal, the bishop moves onto the long diagonal from b2, b7, g7 or g2. A fianchettoed bishop can turn into a seriously powerful weapon.
In this guide we look at what a fianchettoed bishop actually is, how it shapes the strategy of a whole game, and some of the most famous openings built around it.
What Is a Fianchetto in Chess?
A bishop in fianchetto sits on b2, b7, g7 or g2. To get it there, you first need to push the b-pawn or the g-pawn out of the way to give the bishop room. Here is an example of a bishop placed in fianchetto.
Black's bishop on g7 is developed in fianchetto. Notice that Black has pushed the g-pawn to g6 to clear the way for the bishop. This exact setup, a bishop tucked away on g7 behind pawns on d6 and g6, is the calling card of the King's Indian Defense, one of Black's most respected ways to fight for the initiative against 1.d4.
Where Does the Word "Fianchetto" Come From?
Fianchetto is Italian for "little side" or "little flank." The name describes the route, not the destination. The bishop steps out sideways, onto the flank, in one move, instead of traveling toward the middle the way it normally would. Once it gets there it stands on one of the two long diagonals and looks straight across the whole board.
How a Fianchetto Shapes Chess Strategy
A fianchettoed bishop has a massive effect on the strategy of a game. This is one of the core ideas we build on in our full guide to chess strategy. Here are a few concepts worth knowing.
A Fianchettoed Bishop Can Dominate the Board
Sitting on the long diagonal, this bishop is extremely strong. Your opponent will usually try to block it or trade it off, and your job is to give it as much open road as possible. Take a look at the position below.
The bishop on g7 has a huge impact on this position. It can support the advance of Black's queenside pawns toward promotion, and it also keeps an eye on e5 through the knight, making it harder for White to break with a central pawn push. It is Black's best piece, so White will try to trade it off.
1. Qd2
White builds a queen-and-bishop battery, aiming to swing the bishop from f4 to h6 and trade it off there. This is a technique to watch out for, so Black needs to find a way to stop that exchange.
1...Rfe8!
A quiet little rook move that shuts down White's idea in advance. Now:
2. Bh6 Bh8!
And there it is, Black has kept the fianchettoed bishop alive.
A Fianchetto Can Also Leave the King Weaker
Here is the flip side. A kingside castled position built around a fianchetto is actually weaker than one where the pawns never moved at all. If the fianchettoed bishop ever disappears, things can go bad very quickly. Look at the diagram below.
Every dark square around Black's king is desperately weak. White is about to cash in.
1. Qh6+ Kh8 2. Nf6
Black has no answer to Qxh7 mate, with the knight on f6 guarding the queen.
Famous Openings Built Around the Fianchetto
1. b3, the Nimzo-Larsen Attack
White can start a fianchetto from the very first move. Both 1.g3 and 1.b3 do the job, and it is 1.b3, the Nimzo-Larsen Attack, that we will look at here.
White's bishop is heading straight for b2, aiming directly at Black's kingside. The most common reply for Black is to try to limit that bishop's reach.
1...e5 2. Bb2 Nc6
White will logically try to force the e5 pawn to move so the bishop on b2 can breathe again. For example:
3. e3 Nf6 4. Bb5 d6 5. Ne2 Bd7 6. O-O Be7 7. f4
If you want to dig deeper, here is a famous game by Bent Larsen that helped make this whole opening popular.
```
[Event "Hastings 7273"]
[Site "Hastings"]
[Date "1972.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Larsen, Bent"]
[Black "Eley, Brian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2625"]
[BlackElo "2345"]
[ECO "A01"]
[Opening "Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Modern Variation"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[TimeControl "-"]
[Termination "Normal"]
1. b3 e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bb5 d6 5. Ne2 Bd7 6. O-O Be7 7. f4 e4 8. Ng3 O-O 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. c4 d5 11. Nc3 Re8 12. Rc1 Bg4 13. Nce2 Nd7 14. h3 Bxe2 15. Qxe2 Nc5 16. Qg4 g6 17. f5 Nd3 18. fxg6 hxg6 19. Rxf7 Kxf7 20. Rf1+ Bf6 21. Bxf6 1-0
```
The Modern Defense
This is the kingside cousin of the Owen's Defense, below.
1. e4 g6
It is a much more complex opening than the Owen's Defense, with plenty of variations leading to very different kinds of positions.
The Owen's Defense
Black can play for exactly the same idea as 1.b3 with the very first move. This is called the Owen's Defense.
1. e4 b6
One of the strongest ways to fight the Owen's Defense is to go straight after the black bishop headed for fianchetto. For example:
2. d4 Bb7 3. Bd3 e6 4. Qe2 c5 5. d5
Thanks to the queen-and-king standoff on the e-file, White's pawn on d5 is not really in any danger.
5...exd5 6. exd5+ Be7 7. c4
Black will have real trouble getting that bishop on b7 into the game.
The Dragon's Bishop
The Sicilian Dragon is defined by the following moves:
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6
Black's dark-squared bishop heads for fianchetto on g7. It is probably the single most famous fianchettoed bishop in all of chess, and it is often said to be worth more than a rook.
Your Move
That's our guide to the fianchetto in chess. We hope it helps you spot these ideas in your own games. Two things are worth having on your radar next.
- The bishop pair is the other classic minor-piece advantage, and the natural follow-up read once the fianchetto feels familiar.
- Go deeper into the ideas behind these positions in our full guide to chess strategy for beginners.