The advocates of the opening are generally players willing to sacrifice the centre in order to attack from the flank, and to avoid theory.

In perhaps its most famous appearance, Miles defeated reigning World Champion Anatoly Karpov in the 1980 European Team Chess Championship in Skara, Sweden.

This was an inauspicious outing for the defence, however: Petrosian won, giving him the 12 points needed to retain his title.

Another important line is the Three Pawns Attack, sometimes called the St. George Gambit, which continues 3.c4 e6!?

[1] The St. George is also sometimes used to prevent a White bishop from occupying b5 before continuing as in French Defence, with lines such as 2...e6 3.Nf3 d5 transposing into a hybrid of the St. George Defence and the French Defence, with sharp play and quick queenside attack opportunities in the corresponding Advance (4.e5 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Bd3 Bd7 7.0-0 cxd4 8.cxd4 Qb6 9.Be2 Nge7 10.Nc3 Nf5 and Black is up space but isn't castled, and the Black Queen is vulnerable to the attack 11.Na4), Exchange (4.exd5 exd5 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.0-0 Ne7 [6...Nf6?

Anatoly Karpov vs. Tony Miles, European Team Chess Championship, Skara 1980:[2] 1.e4 a6 2.d4 b5 3.Nf3 Bb7 4.Bd3 Nf6 5.Qe2 e6 6.a4 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Nbd2 b4 9.e5 Nd5 10.Ne4 Be7 11.0-0 Nc6 12.Bd2 Qc7 13.c4 bxc3 14.Nxc3 Nxc3 15.Bxc3 Nb4 16.Bxb4 Bxb4 17.Rac1 Qb6 18.Be4 0-0!?