Tree path 4 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Philidor Defense › Philidor Defense
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Philidor Defense C41
- Philidor Defense C41 you are here
Philidor Defense
Overview
Philidor Defense is a specific line in the Open Games family (ECO C41), 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 begins with 5 plies and takes 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 to reach the canonical position.
The line refines Philidor Defense, which traces back to the root opening King's Pawn Game.
The line splits into 2 documented sub-systems: Philidor Defense, Lopez Countergambit.
Together the deeper variations number 3 across the full subtree.
Explore the position on the interactive board, study its real-world results from Lichess, and challenge the engine when you are ready.
- ECO code
- C41
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 5
- Parent
- Philidor Defense
- Direct variations
- 2
- Total in subtree
- 3
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
24,284,003 games · White 51.2% / Draw 4.5% / Black 44.3%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Be7 | 5,861,066 | |
| h6 | 5,563,802 | |
| Bg4 | 3,979,242 | |
| Be6 | 1,894,172 | |
| Nf6 | 1,761,770 | |
| Nc6 | 1,731,250 | |
| c6 | 807,234 | |
| f5 | 600,135 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 01:12:55
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