Tree path 7 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Philidor Defense › Philidor Defense › Exchange Variation › Philidor Defense: Exchange Variation › Philidor Defense: Paulsen Attack
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Philidor Defense C41
- Philidor Defense C41
- Exchange Variation C41
- Philidor Defense: Exchange Variation C41
- Philidor Defense: Paulsen Attack C41 you are here
Philidor Defense: Paulsen Attack
Overview
Philidor Defense: Paulsen Attack 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.
Play reaches this position via 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 d5 5. exd5, after 9 plies of opening development.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Philidor Defense: Exchange 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
- 9
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
10,150 games · White 61.5% / Draw 4.3% / Black 34.2%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Qxd5 | 9,160 | |
| Nf6 | 473 | |
| Bc5 | 141 | |
| Bb4+ | 79 | |
| Qe7+ | 70 | |
| Bd6 | 54 | |
| c6 | 49 | |
| c5 | 34 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:04:04
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Submissions are reviewed before publishing.