Petrov's Defense

Petrov's Defense follows the lines:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6

This variation of the kings pawn game by black seems to give me some trouble, I was wondering what whites best move is? Also how many of you play it... is this better than 2... Nc6?

Petroff's Defence, or the Russian Game, often leads to draws. 3.Nxe5 is very common here for white, and if 3...Nxe4 you can catch black with the famous trap 4.Qe2! when white wins at least a pawn. There are other lines, but I don't know them.

Ahh very interesting and good to know! Thanks! 🙂

I should mention, if you're playing against someone that knows what they are doing with a Petroff they will obvously never fall for that trap. So, just make sure that you aren't expecting all of your opponents to fall for that.

Originally posted by Sicilian Smaug
You could always play 3 Nc3 and take it away from a petroff. That's what I do.

Yeah, I thought of that, is that called the 3 knights?

He's talking about the Qe2 variation...

Originally posted by cmsMaster
I should mention, if you're playing against someone that knows what they are doing with a Petroff they will obvously never fall for that trap. So, just make sure that you aren't expecting all of your opponents to fall for that.

Yeah, I meant that its good to know from blacks perspective! I see that black would usually play 3... d6 and push the knight away before 4... Nxe4 in order to avoid the trap.

I don't play this opening (as black) but seeing as I usually open with e4, or c5 I often find myself playing against it.

After Nf6 my favoured move is Bc4....

I find that this opening is full of traps, which is why I like it.

I then often find players my level seem to play Bc5, this leaves a symetrical pattern on the board, but with White to move...

2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4. Nxe5 0-0 5. d4

Or, instead of 4. 0-0 if black tries...
...Nxe4 5. Bf7+ Kf8 6. d4 (0-0 is Bad as it allows...Bxf2+ Rxf2 Nxf2 Kxf2 Qf6+) Bb6 7. 0-0 d6 8. Bd5

^ With White Winning

So, If you ever meet Bc5 you know what to do....

Here's a game I'm currently playing on another site in which I played the Boden-Kieseritzky gambit.

1. e4 e5
2. Bc4 Nf6
3. Nf3 Nxe4
4. Nc3 Nxc3
5. dxc3 f6
6. O-O Nc6
7. Nh4 g6
8. f4 Bc5+
9. Kh1 Qe7
10. b4 Bb6
11. f5 g5
12. Qh5+ Kd8
13. Ng6

Originally posted by ChessJester
Yeah, I meant that its good to know from blacks perspective! I see that black would usually play 3... d6 and push the knight away before 4... Nxe4 in order to avoid the trap.

As black, you have to play d6. That's the whole point of the opening. I forgot it once and lost ambarassingly.

I like the Petrov because it leads to nice lines for the black bishops. Forget about what people saying that it's drawish. At our level, it's not.

3.d4 (the Steinitz Attack) is an alternative way of playing against the Petroff

Shinidoki: thanks for the tips, those traps look dubious (ominous laughter)...

Siskin: I've read about 3.d4 before... I'm looking at it now... doesn't seem too amazing...

Hey! I kinda figured it out, this move 2... Nf6 is a blunder!! it does nothing! white can simply transpose into something like the kings indian by 3.g3 and simply leave the e4 pawn undefended, tempting black to attack it, and when black does then white plays d3 and then Nxe5