Petrov's Defense 4. Nf3 Nxe4
Also known as Russian Game or Petroff Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
4,232,445 games: White 48.9% / Draw 7.0% / Black 44.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Classical Attack | 1,307,0141.3M | |
| Nimzowitsch Attack | 960,720961K | |
| Cozio Attack | 943,092943K | |
| French Attack | 457,442457K | |
| 267,379267K | ||
| 106,640107K | ||
| Millennium Attack | 101,582102K | |
| Kaufmann Attack | 41,31841K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.29 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Be7 7. O-O Nc6 8. Nc3 Bf5 9. Re1 Nxc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 46% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 43% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.2M | |
| 1400–1799 | 2.5M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.4M | |
| 2200 and up | 466K | |
| Masters, over the board | 22K |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 26, 2026
Overview
Petrov's Defense (ECO C42, Open Games) is a variation of Petrov's Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 (4 moves).
In 4,232,445 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.9%, Black 44.2% and 7.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. d4, in 31% of those games.
It branches into 6 named variations; the most played are Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack and Petrov's Defense: Nimzowitsch Attack. In all, 21 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 4…Nxe4
5. Nc3 (Nimzowitsch Attack) scores best for White: 55.1%, with White winning 51.6% and Black 41.3% of 961K games. The most played, 5. d4, scores 53.6% in 1.3M games, and 5. Bc4 scores lowest: 48.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. d4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.13% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.16% (its peak: 0.23% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.16% | 57,345 |
| 2017 | 0.18% | 98,388 |
| 2018 | 0.23% | 181,494 |
| 2019 | 0.22% | 271,479 |
| 2020 | 0.2% | 580,460 |
| 2021 | 0.17% | 652,786 |
| 2022 | 0.17% | 620,413 |
| 2023 | 0.16% | 589,324 |
| 2024 | 0.14% | 517,990 |
| 2025 | 0.13% | 459,105 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.13% | 143,948 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (6)
All 21 named lines that continue from here
No line matches.
- C42 Classical Attack 5 moves
- C42 Cozio Attack 5 moves
- C42 French Attack 5 moves
- C42 Kaufmann Attack 5 moves
- C42 Millennium Attack 5 moves
- C42 Nimzowitsch Attack 5 moves
- C42 Chigorin Variation 8 moves
- C42 Closed Variation 5 moves
- C42 Marshall Variation 6 moves
- C42 Mason Variation 7 moves
- C42 Mason-Showalter Variation 6 moves
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Berger Variation 10 moves
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Jaenisch Variation 8 moves
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Krause Variation 10 moves
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Maróczy Variation 10 moves
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation 8 moves
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Tarrasch Variation 8 moves
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Browne Attack 9 moves
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line 9 moves
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Marshall Trap 10 moves
- C42 Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Marshall Variation, Chinese Gambit 9 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Petrov's Defense (C42)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/petrovs-defense-5