Petrov's Defense (2. Nf3 Nf6)
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6
The Petrov's Defense is a chess opening classified as ECO C42, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6. White is to move. 5 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 202,392 times by this move order. White won 51%, 4% were drawn and Black won 45%. The most popular continuation is 3. Nc3 (35% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.34 (Stockfish, depth 59; best line 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5)
- ECO
- C42
- Moves
- 4 plies
- FEN
rnbqkb1r/pppp1ppp/5n2/4p3/4P3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq - 2 3- PGN
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 110,963 | |
| 1500-1999 | 78,601 | |
| 2000+ | 12,828 | |
| All | 202,392 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 3. Nc3 Three Knights Game | 71,555 (35%) | |
| 3. Nxe5 Petrov's Defense (2… Nf6 3. Nxe5) | 58,711 (29%) | |
| 3. Bc4 Italian Variation | 35,434 (18%) | |
| 3. d4 Modern Attack (2… Nf6 3. d4) | 15,258 (8%) | |
| 3. d3 | 13,789 (7%) | |
| 3. c3 | 2,196 (1%) | |
| 3. Bd3 | 1,902 (1%) | |
| 3. Bb5 | 928 (0%) |
Master games
1,088 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 47%, draw 20%, Black 33%). The strongest:
- GM Magnus Carlsen (2864) – GM Leinier Dominguez Perez (2754) 1/2-1/2 · SuperUnited Blitz 2022 · 2022-07-24
- GM Alireza Firouzja (2762) – GM Fabiano Caruana (2795) 1-0 · TechM GCL Final 2025 · 2025-12-23
- GM Richard Rapport (2763) – GM Fabiano Caruana (2792) 1-0 · 7th Gashimov Mem Rapid · 2021-12-19
- GM Richard Rapport (2763) – GM Fabiano Caruana (2792) 0-1 · 7th Gashimov Mem Rapid · 2021-12-19
- GM Alireza Firouzja (2763) – GM Hikaru Nakamura (2788) 0-1 · CCT Final Playoff 2023 · 2023-12-10
Search all games of the Petrov's Defense and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- GM gmbrewchess (2996) – Nana_jede_cevape (2875) 1-0 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
- GM gmbrewchess (2989) – Nana_jede_cevape (2880) 1-0 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
- GM gmbrewchess (2962) – Nana_jede_cevape (2901) 1-0 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
King's Knight Opening 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3
Continuations
- Petrov's Defense (2… Nf6 3. Nxe5) C42 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5
- Petrov's Defense: Italian Variation C42 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bc4
- Petrov's Defense: Modern Attack (2… Nf6 3. d4) C43 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4
- Petrov's Defense: Three Knights Game C42 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3
- Petrov's Defense: Moody Gambit C42 · 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Qe2 Nc6 4. d4
More Petrov's Defense lines (all)
- 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
- Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Krause Variation C42
- Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Marshall Trap 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.