Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Marshall Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
364,516 games: White 48.0% / Draw 7.2% / Black 44.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 285,604286K | ||
| 39,46539K | ||
| 11,26011K | ||
| 9,4969,496 | ||
| 6,7316,731 | ||
| 5,6245,624 | ||
| 1,9931,993 | ||
| 1,7051,705 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.31 White is slightly better
Best play: 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 9. Re1 Bf5 10. Qb3 Na6 11. cxd5 cxd5
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 48% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 44% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3,344 | |
| 1400–1799 | 57K | |
| 1800–2199 | 245K | |
| 2200 and up | 73K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,628 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Caruana, F.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Caruana, F.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Caruana, F.
- Vachier Lagrave, 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 27, 2026
Overview
Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Marshall 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 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 (6 moves).
In 364,516 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.0%, Black 44.8% and 7.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. O-O, in 78% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Staunton Variation and Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Tarrasch Variation. In all, 4 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 play against Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Marshall Variation
The most played answer, 7. O-O, also scores best for White: 52.4%, with White winning 48.7% and Black 44.0% of 286K games. Of the main answers, 7. c4 scores lowest: 51.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. O-O.
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
Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Marshall Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.014% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0084% (its peak: 0.016% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0084% | 3,014 |
| 2017 | 0.013% | 7,040 |
| 2018 | 0.016% | 12,225 |
| 2019 | 0.015% | 18,436 |
| 2020 | 0.014% | 41,279 |
| 2021 | 0.012% | 46,288 |
| 2022 | 0.015% | 54,961 |
| 2023 | 0.015% | 58,106 |
| 2024 | 0.015% | 55,109 |
| 2025 | 0.014% | 47,488 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.014% | 15,271 |
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 (2)
All 4 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Marshall Variation (C42)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/petrovs-defense-classical-attack-marshall-variation