Tree path 8 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Philidor Defense › Philidor Defense › Nimzowitsch Variation › Philidor Defense: Lion Variation › Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch, Larobok Variation › Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Forcing Line
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Philidor Defense C41
- Philidor Defense C41
- Nimzowitsch Variation C41
- Philidor Defense: Lion Variation C41
- Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch, Larobok Variation C41
- Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Forcing Line C41 you are here
Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Forcing Line
Overview
Philidor Defense: Lion Variation, Forcing Line is a named branch in the Open Games group of chess theory, classified under ECO C41.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
It begins with 15 plies and takes 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. Ng5 O-O 7. Bxf7+ Rxf7 8. Ne6 to reach the canonical position.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Philidor Defense: Nimzowitsch, Larobok Variation, part of the broader King's Pawn Game system.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- C41
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 15
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
11,363 games · White 56.5% / Draw 5.9% / Black 37.6%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Qe8 | 11,109 | |
| Qf8 | 207 | |
| exd4 | 27 | |
| Rf8 | 10 | |
| Kh8 | 3 | |
| Ng4 | 2 | |
| c6 | 2 | |
| Nxe4 | 2 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 03:05:50
Write a description
Markdown supported (headings ###, bold, lists, links).
Submissions are reviewed before publishing.