Tree path 3 levels King's Pawn Game › King's Knight Opening › Petrov's Defense
C42

Petrov's Defense

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Overview

Petrov's Defense is a specific line in the Open Games family (ECO C42), arising from a recognised theoretical position.

The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.

The line arises from 4 plies — specifically the moves 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6.

The line refines King's Knight Opening, which traces back to the root opening King's Pawn Game.

The line splits into 5 documented sub-systems: Petrov's Defense, Italian Variation, Modern Attack, and others.

Counted recursively, this branch covers 53 sub-variations at all depths.

Explore the position on the interactive board, study its real-world results from Lichess, and challenge the engine when you are ready.

ECO code
C42
Group
Open Games (C)
Plies
4
Parent
King's Knight Opening
Direct variations
5
Total in subtree
53

This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. A more detailed, human-written description is on the way — and you can speed it up by suggesting one yourself.

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Variations (5)

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