Tree path 6 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Petrov's Defense › Petrov's Defense › Petrov's Defense › Petrov's Defense
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Petrov's Defense C42
- Petrov's Defense C42
- Petrov's Defense C42
- Petrov's Defense C42 you are here
Petrov's Defense
Overview
Petrov's Defense is a specific line in the Open Games family (ECO C42), arising from a recognised theoretical position.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
It is reached after 7 plies of play, with the move sequence 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3.
The line refines Petrov's Defense, which traces back to the root opening King's Pawn Game.
It continues primarily into one named line, Petrov's Defense.
In total, the branch covers 22 sub-variations across all depths.
Explore the position on the interactive board, study its real-world results from Lichess, and challenge the engine when you are ready.
- ECO code
- C42
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 7
- Parent
- Petrov's Defense
- Direct variations
- 1
- Total in subtree
- 22
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
4,354,132 games · White 49.2% / Draw 6.9% / Black 44.0%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Nxe4 | 4,232,507 | |
| Bg4 | 47,328 | |
| Be7 | 24,638 | |
| Nc6 | 23,378 | |
| Qe7 | 17,540 | |
| Be6 | 1,866 | |
| d5 | 1,665 | |
| g6 | 1,316 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 01:39:03
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Variations (1)
Show all 22 sub-variations (full subtree)
- C42 Petrov's Defense 8-ply
- C42 Classical Attack 9-ply
- C42 Cozio Attack 9-ply
- C42 French Attack 9-ply
- C42 Kaufmann Attack 9-ply
- C42 Millennium Attack 9-ply
- C42 Nimzowitsch Attack 9-ply
- C42 Chigorin Variation 15-ply
- C42 Closed Variation 10-ply
- C42 Marshall Variation 12-ply
- C42 Mason Variation 14-ply
- C42 Mason-Showalter Variation 12-ply
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Berger Variation 19-ply
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Jaenisch Variation 15-ply
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Krause Variation 19-ply
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Maróczy Variation 20-ply
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation 16-ply
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Tarrasch Variation 16-ply
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Browne Attack 17-ply
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line 17-ply
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Marshall Trap 20-ply
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Marshall Variation, Chinese Gambit 18-ply