Philidor Defence (C41)
by
Post Master
·
Published 31/10/2015
· Updated 24/09/2019
The Philidor Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 d6
The opening is named after the famous 18th-century player François-André Danican Philidor , who advocated it as an alternative to the common 2...Nc6. His original idea was to challenge White's centre by the pawn thrust f7–f5.
Today, the Philidor is known as a solid but passive choice for Black, and is seldom seen in top-level play except as an alternative to the heavily analysed openings that can ensue after the normal 2...Nc6.
The Philidor occurred in one of the most famous games ever played, the "Opera Box game" played in 1858 between the American chess master Paul Morphy and two strong amateurs, the German noble Duke Karl of Brunswick and the French aristocrat Count Isouard. The game continued 3.d4 Bg4, a deviation from modern standard lines.
As of 2004, there are no top players who employ the Philidor with any regularity, although Étienne Bacrot and Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu have occasionally experimented with it. Its popularity in master play has increased slightly over the last twenty years, however.
C41
Philidor Defence
C41
Locock Variation Philidor
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Ng5 h6 5.Nxf7
Philidor Defence II
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4
Philidor Defence: Alapin-Blackburne Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Bg4 4.dxe5 Nd7
Philidor Defence: Berger Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.Be2 O-O 7.O-O c5 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.Bg5 Be6 10.Re1
Philidor Defence: Bird Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3
Philidor Defence: Boden Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 Bd7
Philidor Defence: Exchange Variation I
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4
Philidor Defence: Exchange Variation II
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4
Philidor Defence: Exchange Variation III
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6
Philidor Defence: Hanham, Berger Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Bc4 c6 5.Ng5 Nh6 6.f4 Be7 7.O-O O-O 8.c3 d5
Philidor Defence: Hanham, Kmoch Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Bc4 c6 5.Ng5
Philidor Defence: Hanham Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7
Philidor Defence: Hanham Variation, Delmar Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Bc4 c6 5.c3
Philidor Defence: Hanham, Kmoch Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Bc4 c6 5.Ng5
Philidor Defence: Hanham Variation, Krause Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Bc4 c6 5.O-O
Philidor Defence: Hanham Variation, Schlechter Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Bc4 c6 5.Nc3
Philidor Defence: Hanham Variation, Sharp Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Bc4 Nb6
Philidor Defence: Hanham Variation, Steiner Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Bc4 c6 5.O-O Be7 6.dxe5
Philidor Defence: Larsen Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 g6
Philidor Defence: Lion Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Nc3 Ngf6
Philidor Defence: Lion Variation, Bishop Sac
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.Bxf7+
Philidor Defence: Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sac
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.Bxf7+
Philidor Defence: Lion Variation, Forcing Line
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.Ng5 O-O 7.Bxf7+ Rxf7 8.Ne6
Philidor Defence: Lion Variation, Lion's Claw I
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Nc3 Ngf6 5.Be2 Be7 6.O-O c6
Philidor Defence: Lion Variation, Lion's Claw II
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Nc3 Ngf6 5.Bc4 Be7 6.O-O h6
Philidor Defence: Lion Variation, Shirov Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Nc3 Ngf6 5.g4
Philidor Defence: Lion Variation, Sozin Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.O-O O-O 7.Qe2 c6 8.a4 exd4
Philidor Defence: Lopez Counter-Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 f5
Philidor Defence: Lopez Counter-Gambit, Jaenisch Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 f5 4.d4 exd4 5.Ng5 Nh6 6.Nxh7
Philidor Defence: Morphy Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4
Philidor Defence: Nimzovich, Larobok Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.Ng5 O-O 7.Bxf7+
Philidor Defence: Nimzovich, Locock Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Ng5
Philidor Defence: Nimzowitsch Variation I
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6
Philidor Defence: Nimzowitsch Variation II
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.dxe5
Philidor Defence: Nimzowitsch Variation, Klein Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Bc4
Philidor Defence: Nimzowitsch Variation, Rellstab Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.dxe5 Nxe4 5.Qd5
Philidor Defence: Nimzowitsch Variation, Sokolsky Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.dxe5 Nxe4 5.Nbd2
Philidor Defence: Paulsen Attack
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 d5 5.exd5
Philidor Defence: Philidor Counter-Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5
Philidor Defence: Philidor Counter-Gambit, Berger Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.dxe5 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.e6 Bc5 7.Nc3
Philidor Defence: Philidor Counter-Gambit, del Rio Attack
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.dxe5 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.e6
Philidor Defence: Philidor Counter-Gambit, Zukertort Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3
Philidor Defence: Philidor Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Bd7
Philidor Defence: Steinitz Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Be7 4.c3