Petrov's DefenseC42
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6. Black copies White's knight move and attacks the e4 pawn instead of guarding e5.
Move by move
2... Nf6: knight to f 6
- White: e4, pawn to e 4.
- Black: e5, pawn to e 5.
- White: Nf3, knight to f 3.
- Black: Nf6, knight to f 6.
What each side wants
⚪ White: Taking with 3.Nxe5 is fine. After 3...d6, move your knight back before Black takes on e4.
⚫ Black: Don't take on e4 too early. Play 3...d6 first to chase the knight, then take.
Black made the last move, so after this it is White's turn.
You will also hear it called the Russian Game or the Petroff.
⚠️ Copying goes wrong
3. Nxe5 Nxe4 4. Qe2 Nf6 5. Nc6+
After 3.Nxe5 Nxe4 4.Qe2, if Black plays 4...Nf6, White plays 5.Nc6+. The knight moving out of the way lets the queen give check, and the knight is attacking Black's queen too. White wins the queen.
Three things every opening does
The Petrov's Defense follows the three ideas strong players use in every opening. Get a pawn or two into the middle of the board, because pieces in the middle can reach more squares. Bring out your knights and bishops before you move the queen a lot, so she is not chased around. And castle early, so your king is tucked behind a wall of pawns and your rook joins the game. When you forget the moves, those three ideas will still help you find a good one.
Try it
Play it against Peabody on Play, then solve today's puzzle. Openings that start the same way:
- Italian Game
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 - Giuoco Piano
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 - Two Knights Defense
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 - Fried Liver Attack
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. Nxf7 - Evans Gambit
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 - Scotch Game
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4
Name, code and moves from the Lichess openings list (CC0), checked . The words are Peabody's own, and every move on this page is checked by Peabody's chess engine.