Petrov's Defense

ECO C42-C43beginner

Petrov's Defense, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6, ignores the attack on e5 and counterattacks e4 — a symmetry-based equalizing strategy with a century of elite credibility, most recently as Caruana's world-championship defense. Beginners must learn its first lesson immediately: 3.Nxe5 must be met by 3...d6 first (3...Nxe4? 4.Qe2 wins material), and only then ...Nxe4. White's tries for an edge come from 3.d4 (the Steinitz) or the main line 5.d4 with a small space pull.

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Main line

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

White starts the game by pushing the pawn out to e4, a light square right in the middle of the board. This brave little step grabs space and opens lanes so the queen and bishop can come out later.
Black answers fairly, sending the pawn to e5 on its dark square. Now both sides have a pawn standing tall in the center, and the game feels balanced and ready for a friendly fight.
White moves their knight from g1 to f3. This is a good developing move that helps get your pieces into the game!
Black moves their knight from g8 to f6. This is a good developing move that helps get a piece into the game.
The knight moves from f3 to e5. It takes a pawn there! This is a great move because it puts your knight in the middle of the board.
Black moves a pawn from its starting spot at d7 forward one square to d6. It's a good, solid move to start the game.
The knight hops back to f3, a light square near White's king. Knights love this calm spot because they can jump in many directions from here. A tidy, helpful place for your horse to rest.
The knight moves from f6 to e4 and takes a pawn. This is a great move because it grabs a piece in the middle of the board!
You move your knight from b1 to c3. This is a great developing move! It gets your piece off the starting square and into the game.
Black's knight moves from e4 to c3 and takes a white knight. This is a good trade for you!
White moves a pawn from d2 to c3. It takes a black knight! This is a good trade, as you get a piece for a pawn.
Black moves their bishop from f8 to e7. This is a good developing move, getting a piece into the game.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	50	46%	6%	48%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3
600-800	31	48.4%	3.2%	48.4%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7
800-1000	152	51.3%	2%	46.7%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7
1000-1200	54	55.6%	1.9%	42.6%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7
1200-1400	1,360	49%	4%	46.9%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7
1400-1600	3,405	51%	3.9%	45.1%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7
1600-1800	696	50%	5.5%	44.5%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7
1800-2000	1,613	52.6%	6.6%	40.8%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7
2000-2200	1,937	49.5%	6.7%	43.9%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7
2200-2400	1,421	46%	8.1%	45.9%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7

Most played continuations (1400-1600 rating)

After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7:

Bc4 — played 29.6% of the time (White wins 49.8%, draws 3.6%, Black wins 46.6%)
Be3 — played 28.2% of the time (White wins 52.3%, draws 3.3%, Black wins 44.4%)
Bd3 — played 25.4% of the time (White wins 54%, draws 4.7%, Black wins 41.2%)

Frequently asked questions

Is the Petrov a drawing weapon?

It is the most solid reply to 1.e4 in existence, but 'solid' is not 'drawn' — the 5.Nc3 and opposite-side castling lines produce real attacking games, and White's many small-edge tries all carry losing chances for the unprepared. Black wins plenty of Petrovs by simply being the better-prepared side.

What is the trap in Petrov's Defense?

After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5, the natural 3...Nxe4? runs into 4.Qe2! and Black is already lost material: 4...Nf6 5.Nc6+ discovered check wins the queen. The correct sequence is 3...d6 4.Nf3 and only now 4...Nxe4.