Tree path 6 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Philidor Defense › Philidor Defense › Philidor Defense › Steinitz Variation
- Chess Codex
- King's Pawn Game C20
- King's Knight Opening C40
- Philidor Defense C41
- Philidor Defense C41
- Philidor Defense C41
- Steinitz Variation C41 you are here
Philidor Defense: Steinitz Variation
Overview
Philidor Defense: Steinitz Variation 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 is reached after 7 plies of play, with the move sequence 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. c3.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from Philidor Defense, 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
- 7
- Parent
- Philidor Defense
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
931,183 games · White 49.5% / Draw 4.4% / Black 46.1%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Nf6 | 772,408 | |
| Bg4 | 27,940 | |
| c6 | 27,875 | |
| Nc6 | 21,475 | |
| h6 | 18,954 | |
| c5 | 18,844 | |
| Bf6 | 13,250 | |
| Be6 | 7,532 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 01:39:01
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Submissions are reviewed before publishing.