Petrov Defense
The Petrov (Russian Defense) is Black's soundest, most symmetrical answer to 1.e4 — a favorite of elite players seeking rock-solid equality.
Let's begin.
Press Learn to start, then play the moves yourself.
Play pawn to e5.
Variations in this course
Every line runs to a middlegame position with coach commentary at each fork. Playing Black, you'll meet:
- 1
Three Knights
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3
Take it with you
Export this repertoire as a standard PGN — with the coach's notes as comments — to study it in Lichess, ChessBase, or any board you like. Sidelines are saved as PGN variations.
Related courses
More from the Open Games (1.e4 e5).
Ruy Lopez
A practical, aggressive repertoire for White built around fast development and pressure on e5. Easy to learn, hard to meet.
Vienna Gambit
Win a tempo, sac a pawn to open lines, and go straight after the king. Principled, coach-approved aggression.
Fried Liver Attack
Sacrifice the knight, drag the king into the open, and hunt it down. Pure attacking chess.
Philidor Defense
A compact, solid defense with ...d6 and ...e5. The Philidor is easy to learn and gives Black a sturdy, resilient setup against 1.e4.