Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Closed Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
55,899 games: White 55.2% / Draw 5.5% / Black 39.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 26,15526K | ||
| 5,5285,528 | ||
| 5,0855,085 | ||
| 4,9864,986 | ||
| 3,9113,911 | ||
| 3,5083,508 | ||
| 1,8421,842 | ||
| 1,4421,442 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.38 White is slightly better
Best play: 6. Bd3 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 d5 9. h3 Nbd7 10. Bf4 Re8
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Closed Variation (ECO C42, Open Games) is a variation of Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 Nf6 (5 moves).
In 55,899 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 55.2%, Black 39.2% and 5.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Bd3, in 47% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Closed Variation
The most played answer, 6. Bd3, also scores best for White: 60.7%, with White winning 57.9% and Black 36.5% of 26K games. Of the main answers, 6. Be2 scores lowest: 54.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. Bd3.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Closed Variation (C42)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/petrovs-defense-classical-attack-closed-variation