Chess openings / Philidor Defense Philidor Defense The Philidor Defense starts 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6. The opening book names 37 variations of it, under ECO C41.
The main line, move by move Starting position4 more to go
Start Back Next End Flip
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 Do you play the Philidor Defense? Knowing the moves is the easy part. What costs games is the move after the book runs out. Enter your Chess.com or Lichess username and the free check reads your newest 10 Rapid and Blitz games and shows the mistake you repeat most. No account needed.
All 37 Philidor Defense variations C41 Albin-Blackburne Gambit1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Bg4 4. dxe5 Nd7 C41 Berger Variation1. 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 C41 Bird Gambit1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 C41 Boden Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Qxd4 Bd7 C41 Exchange Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 (also reached by 2 other move orders) C41 Hanham Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7 C41 Hanham Variation, Delmar Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7 4. Bc4 c6 5. c3 C41 Hanham Variation, Krause Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7 4. Bc4 c6 5. O-O C41 Hanham Variation, Schlechter Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7 4. Bc4 c6 5. Nc3 C41 Hanham Variation, Sharp Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7 4. Bc4 Nb6 C41 Hanham Variation, Steiner Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7 4. Bc4 c6 5. O-O Be7 6. dxe5 C41 Hanham, Kmoch Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7 4. Bc4 c6 5. Ng5 C41 Larsen Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 g6 C41 Lion Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 C41 Lion Variation, Bishop Sacrifice1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. Bxf7+ C41 Lion Variation, Delayed Bishop Sacrifice1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 4. Nf3 e5 5. Bc4 Be7 6. dxe5 dxe5 7. Bxf7+ C41 Lion Variation, Forcing Line1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. Ng5 O-O 7. Bxf7+ Rxf7 8. Ne6 C41 Lion Variation, Lion's Claw, with Bc4 and h61. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. O-O h6 C41 Lion Variation, Lion's Claw, with Be2 and c61. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Be2 Be7 6. O-O c6 C41 Lion Variation, Shirov Gambit1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7 4. Nc3 Ngf6 5. g4 C41 Lion Variation, Sozin Variation1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Qe2 c6 8. a4 exd4 C41 Lopez Countergambit1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 f5 C41 Lopez Countergambit, Jaenisch Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 f5 4. Bc4 exd4 5. Ng5 Nh6 6. Nxh7 C41 Morphy Gambit1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 C41 Nimzowitsch Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 (also reached by 1 other move order) C41 Nimzowitsch Variation, Klein Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Bc4 C41 Nimzowitsch Variation, Rellstab Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. dxe5 Nxe4 5. Qd5 C41 Nimzowitsch Variation, Sokolsky Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. dxe5 Nxe4 5. Nbd2 C41 Nimzowitsch, Larobok Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. Ng5 O-O 7. Bxf7+ C41 Nimzowitsch, Locock Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Ng5 C41 Paulsen Attack1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 d5 5. exd5 C41 Philidor Countergambit1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 f5 C41 Philidor Countergambit, Berger Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 f5 4. dxe5 fxe4 5. Ng5 d5 6. e6 Bc5 7. Nc3 C41 Philidor Countergambit, Zukertort Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 f5 4. Nc3 C41 Philidor Countergambit, del Rio Attack1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 f5 4. dxe5 fxe4 5. Ng5 d5 6. e6 C41 Philidor Gambit1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Bd7 C41 Steinitz Variation1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. c3 Check your own games for free →
Want every game reviewed? Create an account .