Philidor Defense 3. Bc4 Be7
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Statistics from Lichess
5,951,629 games: White 48.3% / Draw 4.8% / Black 46.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,513,1631.5M | ||
| 1,254,9821.3M | ||
| Steinitz Variation | 891,671892K | |
| 887,198887K | ||
| 812,670813K | ||
| 501,427501K | ||
| 33,54234K | ||
| 12,06112K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.28 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nc3 O-O 7. O-O Nxe4 8. Nxe4 d5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 51% 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 | 941K | |
| 1400–1799 | 4.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 3.2M | |
| 2200 and up | 108K | |
| Masters, over the board | 351 |
Master games
- Ivanchuk, V. – Bacrot, E.
- Wei Yi – Bu Xiangzhi
- Lutz, C. – Bacrot, E.
- Predke, A. – Ibarra Jerez, J.
- Efimenko, Z. – Predojevic, B.
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 Be7 (3 moves).
In 5,951,629 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.3%, Black 46.9% and 4.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. d4, in 25% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Philidor Defense: Steinitz Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 3…Be7
4. c3 (Steinitz Variation) scores best for White: 51.7%, with White winning 49.5% and Black 46.1% of 892K games. The most played, 4. d4, scores 51.2% in 1.5M games, and 4. d3 scores lowest: 49.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. 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 peaked in 2017 at 0.27% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.22% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.25% | 87,651 |
| 2017 | 0.27% | 151,314 |
| 2018 | 0.25% | 195,859 |
| 2019 | 0.24% | 299,191 |
| 2020 | 0.23% | 678,398 |
| 2021 | 0.23% | 885,092 |
| 2022 | 0.23% | 853,410 |
| 2023 | 0.23% | 866,634 |
| 2024 | 0.23% | 820,304 |
| 2025 | 0.22% | 769,247 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.22% | 240,135 |
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 (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Philidor Defense (C41)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/philidor-defense-4