The Baltic Defense is a chess opening that begins with the moves This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... This image is originally from xboard. ... The first moves of a chess game are the opening moves, collectively referred to as the opening or the book. ... Algebraic chess notation is the method used today by all competition chess organizations and most books, magazines, and newspapers to record and describe the play of chess games. ...

1.d4 d5

2.c4 Bf5

(The Baltic Opening is a different opening played by White that begins 1.Nc3. It has many other names, see Baltic Opening for details.)

The Baltic is an unusual variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. It has not found wide-spread acceptance among chess masters, but some world-class players have used it including grandmasters Paul Keres and Alexei Shirov. The Queens Gambit Declined (QGD) is, in its broadest sense any variation of the Queens Gambit chess opening where Black does not play the Queens Gambit Accepted, 2. ... The title International Grandmaster is awarded to superb chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. It is a lifetime title, in chess literature usually abbreviated as GM or IGM (this is in contrast to WGM for Woman Grandmaster and IM for International Master). ... Paul Keres (January 7, 1916 - June 5, 1975) was an Estonian chess player (born in Narva), one of the stronger chess players of all times apart from the World chess champions. ... Alexei Shirov (Алексе́й Широв) (born July 4, 1972 in Latvia), is one of the top chess grandmasters in the world today. ...

In most defenses to the QGD Black has difficulties developing his queen bishop. The Baltic takes a radical approach to the problem by bringing out the queen bishop immediately. White has tried many moves to attempt to refute this opening, including 3.Qb3, 3.Nc3, 3.cxd5, 3.e3, and 3.Nf3.