Philidor Defense

ECO C41beginner

The Philidor, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6, supports e5 with a pawn instead of a piece — compact, slightly passive, and much more resilient than its reputation suggests. The modern treatment reaches the Hanham setup (...Nd7, ...Be7, ...c6) often via the move order 1...d6 and 2...Nf6, keeping the center flexible. Black's plan is patient: complete development behind the pawn wall, then strike with ...exd4 and piece pressure, or hold the center and expand queenside.

Train as White Train as Black Explore all variations

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.

Right away the king's pawn marches up to e4, a light square in the middle of the board. This is a friendly, popular way to start a game and stake a claim in the center. Well done getting things going!
Black answers by pushing the pawn to e5, a dark square smack in the middle. Now both sides have planted a pawn in the center, and the game feels balanced and ready for a fair fight. Nice symmetrical reply!
White moves their knight from g1 to f3. This is a good developing move that helps get your pieces into the game!
Black advances the d-pawn to d6, supporting the e5 pawn and preparing to develop the dark-squared bishop.
White moves a pawn from d2 to d4. That's a strong step! It now helps White control key squares in the middle of the board.
Black's pawn captures White's pawn on d4, moving from e5. This opens the center and challenges White's control.
Your knight captures Black's central pawn on d4, removing a key defender and opening the d-file for your pieces.
Black moves their knight from g8 to f6. This is a good developing move that helps get a piece into the game.
You move your knight from b1 to c3. This is a great developing move, getting your piece out and ready for action!
Black moves their bishop from f8 to e7. This is a good developing move, getting a strong piece into the game and ready for action!
White moves their pawn from g2 to g3, preparing a kingside fianchetto to support the center and enable kingside castling.
Black moves their king from e8 to g8. This is kingside castling, a safe and smart move that also helps develop a rook.

Open the full annotated variation tree — free account

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	86	58.1%	4.7%	37.2%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4
600-800	571	49.6%	4.7%	45.7%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7
800-1000	40	40%	7.5%	52.5%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.g3
1000-1200	1,652	48.4%	2.8%	48.8%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7
1200-1400	263	50.2%	3.4%	46.4%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.g3 O-O
1400-1600	612	53.8%	2.9%	43.3%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.g3 O-O
1600-1800	130	59.2%	3.1%	37.7%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.g3 O-O
1800-2000	191	49.7%	4.2%	46.1%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.g3 O-O
2000-2200	252	49.2%	4%	46.8%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.g3 O-O
2200-2400	167	52.1%	8.4%	39.5%	1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.g3 O-O

Most played continuations (1000-1200 rating)

After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7:

Bc4 — played 24% of the time (White wins 50%, draws 3.3%, Black wins 46.7%)
Bd3 — played 16.8% of the time (White wins 46%, draws 3.2%, Black wins 50.7%)
Bg5 — played 16.1% of the time (White wins 49.6%, draws 2.6%, Black wins 47.8%)

Frequently asked questions

Is the Philidor Defense passive?

It concedes space, but the structure has no weaknesses, and the counterattacking plans (...exd4 with ...Re8 and ...Bf8 regrouping, or a delayed ...d5 break) are genuinely dangerous against autopilot play. Many strong grandmasters use it as a practical workhorse against 1.e4.

What should White play against the Philidor?

Take the center and keep it: 3.d4, and after 3...exd4 4.Nxd4 simple development with Bc4 or Be2, Nc3 and 0-0 leaves White a stable space edge. The main thing to avoid is releasing the tension without gain — Black's setup thrives against careless exchanges.