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Fatal Philidor

Fatal Philidor

Only Chess

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Here's a Philidor Defense that lives up to its unsavory reputation:

Game 4034547

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The post that was quoted here has been removed
9 ... Nc6 is the normal move but generally white attacks with
10. h4

with the plan to play Bh6 and then h5 with the stereotypical pawn sac as in the Sicilian Dragon. I think white has even better prospects here.

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Originally posted by demonseed
. I think white has even better prospects here.
True..this set-up started by Larsen allows white a good kingside attack, which is why it's not the main choice for black.

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Game 4047284
Game 3993912
Game 3857772

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The top board at the university I attend always answers 1...d6 to everything and always strives for Philidor-type positions like the one in the diagram below. And if a line like e4 d6 d4 e5, if white decides to exchange pwns then queens, white will have very few winning chances (if any) against a good defender.



Above is the general development of the Black side - such a setup is not very easy to attack. Black aims to attack on the Qside or in the center and often will develop the bishop to b7 or a6.

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Originally posted by Yuga
The top board at the university I attend always answers 1...d6 to everything and always strives for Philidor-type positions like the one in the diagram below. And if a line like e4 d6 d4 e5, if white decides to exchange pwns then queens, white will have very few winning chances (if any) against a good defender.

[fen]r1b2rk1/p1qnbppp/1ppp1n2/4p3/3PP3/2N2N2/P ...[text shortened]... lack aims to attack on the Qside or in the center and often will develop the bishop to b7 or a6.
GM Andrew Soltis wrote a book recommending that Black play 1...d6 against all moves. For a while, GM Joel Benjamin often played this line as Black, also recommended by Soltis in the above book: 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 c6 4 f4 Qa5. Benjamin gave up on this system after GM Walter Browne crushed him in the 1995 or 1996 U. S. Championship.