Philidor Defense 2…d6 3. Bc4
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Statistics from Lichess
24,284,003 games: White 51.2% / Draw 4.5% / Black 44.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 5,861,0665.9M | ||
| 5,563,8025.6M | ||
| 3,979,2424M | ||
| 1,894,1721.9M | ||
| 1,761,7701.8M | ||
| Italian Game: Paris Defense | 1,731,2501.7M | |
| 807,234807K | ||
| Lopez Countergambit | 600,135600K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.21 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 O-O 7. O-O Nxe4 8. Nxe4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 54% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 58% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 19.7M | |
| 1400–1799 | 30.1M | |
| 1800–2199 | 9.7M | |
| 2200 and up | 233K | |
| Masters, over the board | 615 |
Master games
- Ivanchuk, V. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Bacrot, E.
- Anand, V. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Wei Yi – Bu Xiangzhi
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Cheparinov, I.
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
Philidor Defense (ECO C41, Open Games) is a variation of the Philidor Defense, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 (3 moves).
In 24,284,003 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.2%, Black 44.3% and 4.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Be7, in 24% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played is Philidor Defense: Lopez Countergambit. In all, 3 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 3. Bc4
The most played answer, 3…Be7, also scores best for Black: 49.3%, with Black winning 46.9% and White 48.3% of 5.9M games. Of the main answers, 3…Nf6 scores lowest: 44.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 3…Nf6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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: 0.84% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 1.3%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1.3% | 456,046 |
| 2017 | 1.1% | 616,559 |
| 2018 | 0.94% | 737,739 |
| 2019 | 0.96% | 1,193,570 |
| 2020 | 0.97% | 2,848,619 |
| 2021 | 1.0% | 3,976,336 |
| 2022 | 0.96% | 3,622,341 |
| 2023 | 0.92% | 3,464,045 |
| 2024 | 0.89% | 3,177,883 |
| 2025 | 0.84% | 2,914,465 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.8% | 880,601 |
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)
Transpositions
All 3 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Philidor Defense (C41)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/philidor-defense-2