Petrov's Defense: Modern Attack (3. d4 exd4)
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 exd4
The Petrov's Defense: Modern Attack is a chess opening classified as ECO C43, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 exd4. It is a line of the Petrov's Defense. White is to move. 3 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 6,502 times by this move order. White won 52%, 4% were drawn and Black won 44%. The most popular continuation is 4. e5 (37% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.47 (Stockfish, depth 44; best line 4. e5 Ne4 5. Qxd4 d5 6. exd6 Nxd6)
- ECO
- C43
- Moves
- 6 plies
- FEN
rnbqkb1r/pppp1ppp/5n2/8/3pP3/5N2/PPP2PPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq - 0 4- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 exd4
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 3,322 | |
| 1500-1999 | 2,893 | |
| 2000+ | 287 | |
| All | 6,502 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 4. e5 | 2,379 (37%) | |
| 4. Nxd4 | 1,707 (26%) | |
| 4. Qxd4 | 1,293 (20%) | |
| 4. Bc4 | 522 (8%) | |
| 4. Ng5 | 206 (3%) | |
| 4. c3 | 189 (3%) | |
| 4. Bg5 | 104 (2%) | |
| 4. Bd3 | 46 (1%) |
Master games
141 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 68%, draw 7%, Black 25%). The strongest:
- GM Vladislav Kovalev (2582) – IM Ganzorig Amartuvshin (2407) 1-0 · Titled Tue 22nd Aug Early · 2023-08-22
- GM Alexey Sarana (2691) – CM Shadi Sian (2155) 1-0 · Titled Tue 5th Aug Late · 2025-08-05
- IM Srinath Narayanan (2461) – IM Oliver Dimakiling (2373) 1-0 · 6th Penang Open 2014 · 2014-12-10
- GM Sergei Zhigalko (2572) – Gnel Melikyan (2217) 1-0 · Titled Tue 18th Feb Late · 2025-02-18
- GM Gabriel Flom (2514) – FM Anatoly Kuprijanov (2258) 1/2-1/2 · Elitzur IMA Summer 2020 · 2020-09-07
Search all games of the Petrov's Defense: Modern Attack and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- SnoopyDoggy (2626) – FM GlennTipton (2517) 1-0 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 0s
- EYCC_champion_2026 (2473) – UnwrittenFuture (2522) 0-1 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 2s
- qzrchess77 (2527) – bbbbbbbbbbnnnnnnnnnn (2457) 0-1 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 2s
Comes from
Petrov's Defense: Modern Attack (2… Nf6 3. d4) 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4
Continuations
- Petrov's Defense: Modern Attack, Center Attack C43 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 exd4 4. e5 Ne4 5. Qxd4
- Petrov's Defense: Modern Attack, Steinitz Variation C43 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 exd4 4. e5 Ne4 5. Qe2
- Petrov's Defense: Modern Attack, Tal Gambit C43 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 exd4 4. e5 Ne4 5. Bb5
More Petrov's Defense lines (all)
- Petrov's Defense (2. Nf3 Nf6) C42
- Petrov's Defense (2… Nf6 3. Nxe5) C42
- Petrov's Defense (3. Nxe5 d6) C42
- Petrov's Defense (3… d6 4. Nf3) C42
- Petrov's Defense (4. Nf3 Nxe4) C42
- Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack C42
- Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Berger Variation C42
- Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation C42
- Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Browne Attack C42
- Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, Main Line C42
- Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Closed Variation C42
- Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Jaenisch Variation C42
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.