Semi-open games

Semi-open openings arise from White's move 1. e4 met by any reply other than 1...e5. The fight for the center can take many different forms.

In the French Defense, Black immediately threatens the e4 pawn, and if it advances, the target becomes the d4 pawn:

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The idea of the d7-d5 advance is common to most semi-open openings. In the Scandinavian Defense, this move is played immediately in reply to 1. e4:

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In the Caro-Kann Defense, it comes after the preparatory 1...c6:

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It is considerably harder to carry out in the most common semi-open opening, the Sicilian Defense, arising after 1...c5:

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3. Here, by playing d2-d4, White frees a path for piece development, but cannot achieve a pawn advantage in the center, since one of the central pawns is immediately traded off by c5xd4

The Alekhine Defense (1...♘f6) has an altogether different character:

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5. It might seem that White has achieved a great deal, but Black, having allowed — and even provoked — the opponent into building a pawn center, immediately starts undermining it:
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