Lifetime Repertoires Modern Defense by GM S.P. Sethuraman 24 Mar 2025

The Modern is not just an opening—
it’s an entire philosophy of chess.

This Modern Defense repertoire isn’t just about playing from outside the center—you’ll discover a whole new philosophy of chess!

The approach you’ll learn here challenges traditional ideas, encourages creativity, and helps you thrive in unbalanced positions. You’ll get into truly hypermodern territory with highly dynamic play that leads to all kinds of exotic and unconventional positions.

If you want to play this opening, you have to be ready for:

🎨 Positional sacrifices:

In this example, Black is going to
sacrifice the d7-knight for concrete compensation.

🎨 King in the center:

When White is behind in development,
you shouldn’t worry about putting your king to work!

🎨 Novelties and chaotic positions:

So many pieces attacked here! …Qe4 saves the game.

These positions may look chaotic, but don’t worry—GM S.P. Sethuraman will show you how to turn chaos into your greatest weapon!

This course teaches you the philosophy of the Modern Defense. Instead of rigidly memorizing variations, you’ll develop creativity by practicing key ideas in different positions. This way, you’ll be able to find strong moves—even in unfamiliar situations.

An opening that rewards flexibility and creativity.

You will get a full Modern Defense repertoire with over 400 variations that cover all relevant approaches by White, including:

➡️ Major systems like the Averbakh (3.c4) which you’ll respond with 3…d6 to later confront the center with …e5 or …c5.
➡️ Tricky systems with 3.Nf3 d6 4.Be2 & 4.Be3 − learn when to avoid the typical …a6 Modern move in order to not make any concessions.
➡️ 4.Be3 systems, including the aggressive English Attack with 3.Nc3 d6 4.Be3 a6 5.h4 − here you’ll create counterplay with …b5 and …Bb7.
➡️ The Austrian Attack (4.f4) − against this main line, Sethuraman provides two options: the solid 4…Nf6, and the riskier, but playable choice 4…a6.
➡️ Early sidelines, where White deviates from the main continuation (2.d4) on move two or later − learn how to take advantage of their drawbacks!
➡️ 4.Nf3 & transpositions − learn how to use flexible move orders to steer the game in your favor.

GM Sethuraman’s course stands out for its unusual but easily learnable play style. He explains his move choices clearly, often providing inferior alternatives as clickables to illustrate why certain moves are stronger. You will also get plenty of model games and an extra chapter with exercises to get you ready for practice!

Here’s an overview of the course’s structure:

✅ Quickstarter guide with the most important lines
✅ 15 theory chapters covering all relevant approaches by White
✅ Puzzle chapter with almost 50 exercises
✅ Two chapters with model games, one with games by the author

The course is suitable for intermediate to master level and beyond. It’s also a great fit for players who already enjoy openings like the King’s Indian, Grünfeld, or Dragon, as they share similar thematic ideas.

The author Grandmaster S.P. Sethuraman, who is known for his fearless and ambitious style, is a true exemplar of the Modern Defense Philosophy. A chess prodigy, he became a grandmaster at 18 and is now among the top players in India. He has already published several courses on Chessable, contributing fresh, dynamic ideas to opening theory, particularly in 1.e4 openings.