fianchetto

American  

[fee-uhn-ket-oh, -chet-oh] / ˌfi ənˈkɛt oʊ, -ˈtʃɛt oʊ /

noun

• fianchetti
  plural

1. the development of a bishop, in an opening move, by advancing one or two pawns so as to permit movement along the bishop's diagonal.

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verb (used with or without object)

fianchettoed, fianchettoing

1. to set up or develop as a fianchetto.

fianchetto British  

/ ˌfɪənˈtʃɛtəʊ, -ˈkɛtəʊ /

noun

1. the development of a bishop on the second rank of the neighbouring knight's file or the third rank of the nearer rook's file

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verb

1. to develop (a bishop) thus

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fianchetti
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of fianchetto

From Italian, dating back to 1840–50; see origin at flank, -et

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fianchetto fianchetti fianchettoed

“Right now he plays a fianchetto with his bishop,” Brdar said of Machado’s opening strategy in many games.

From New York Times ● May 13, 2022

Kids in Ohio bought My 60 Memorable Games and learned how to fianchetto.

From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2014

He utilizes a fianchetto that is utterly impregnable.

From Competition by James Causey

The crystal delight of challenge he felt when confronted by an apparently impregnable fianchetto.

From Felony by James Causey

It was a watershed moment, even for those who don’t know the first thing about fianchetti.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Nxb7!, as White’s two knights and powerful fianchettoed bishop easily outperform their Black counterparts.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 7, 2022

White follows up the gambit energetically with 20. d5! and the removal of Black’s fianchettoed bishop, creating all kinds of weak squares around the Black king.

From Washington Times ● May 31, 2022

Qe4 Rfd8, a lot of subtle maneuvering has produced a roughly equal position, with the Black fianchettoed bishop boasting just a bit more scope that its White counterpart.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 15, 2022

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