Learn the Petroff Defense

C42-C43 · a repertoire for black · 4 chapters · 53 annotated lines

"Answer 1.e4 with the mirror move and dare White to prove an edge"

The Petroff (Russian) Defense is the great equalizer against 1.e4. Instead of defending the e5 pawn, Black counterattacks the e4 pawn with 2...Nf6 — a symmetrical, ice-cold reply that has frustrated attackers from Karpov's opponents to Kramnik's and Caruana's. Its reputation is 'drawish,' but that is exactly its strength: you reach sound, harmonious positions where you understand the plans and White has to take real risks to unbalance the game. This course gives you the whole repertoire — the Classical 3.Nxe5 with the crucial 3...d6-first move order and every White try, White's fifth-move deviations, the Modern 3.d4 Steinitz Attack, and every sideline including the Cochrane knight sacrifice and the Belgrade Gambit — with every line engine-checked and every idea explained.

What's inside

• Chapter 1: The Classical Main Line — 3.Nxe5
  Lines: The ...d6-First Rule & the ...Bg4/...f5 Fortress, The ...Nb4 Line vs 8.c4, 8.Nbd2 — Trade the e4 Knight and Untangle, 8.h3 — Prophylaxis Met by the ...f5 Fortress, 8.c4 Nb4 — When White Retreats 9.Be2, 8.Re1 Bg4 9.h3 — Cash In with ...Bxf3!, 8.Bf4 — Develop and Pin, 6.Be2 — The Quiet Bishop, 4.Nc4 — The Awkward Retreat, 4.Nd3 — The Modern Retreat & the Knight Dance
• Chapter 2: White's Fifth-Move Tries — 5.Nc3, 5.Qe2, 5.d3 & 5.c4
  Lines: 5.Nc3 — Trade and Target the Doubled Pawns, 5.Qe2 — Meet the Pin with a Symmetrical Trade, 5.Qe2 Qe7 6.Nc3 — Trade Everything into Equality, 5.Qe2 Qe7 6.d3 Nf6 7.Nc3 — The Symmetric Endgame, 5.d3 — The Passive Push, 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Bc4 — Meeting the Active Bishop, 5.c4 — The Kaufmann Attack, 5.Qe2 Qe7 6.d3 Nf6 7.Qxe7+ — The Queenless Middlegame, 5.d3 Nf6 6.Bg5 — Break the Pin, Then Take the Center, 5.d3 Nf6 6.Be2 — Same Recipe: ...Be7, ...O-O, ...d5, 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nc3 — Develop, Castle, Break with ...d5
• Chapter 3: The Modern/Steinitz Attack — 3.d4
  Lines: 3.d4 — The ...Nd7 Main Line & ...Bd6/...O-O/...c6, 3.d4 — When White Declines the Trade (6.Nf3), 3.d4 — The 6.Nc3 Trade into a Four-Bishop Game, 3.d4 — When White Takes 9.cxd5, 3.d4 — Meeting 8.Nd2 with the Trade, 3.d4 Nxe4 4.dxe5 — Regaining the Pawn, 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Nxe5 — Back to the Classical, 5...Nd7 6.Qe2 — Punishing the Pin Trick
• Chapter 4: Sidelines — Four Knights, Cochrane, Belgrade, 3.Bc4 & 3.d3
  Lines: 3.Nc3 — The Four Knights & the Metger Unpin, The Cochrane Gambit — 4.Nxf7!?, 3.Bc4 — Give the Pawn Back and Equalize, 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.d4 — The Scotch Four Knights, 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4 — The Fork Trick, 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.g3 — The Glek System, The Cochrane with 5.Nc3 — Walk the King to Safety, The Cochrane with 5.Bc4+ — Block and Tuck Away, 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Qe2 — Keep the Pawn with ...Nc6!, The Belgrade Gambit — 4.d4 exd4 5.Nd5!?, 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Bxf7+? — Refuting the Bluff, The Halloween Gambit — 4.Nxe5?!, Spanish Four Knights: 6.Bxc6 — The Exchange Grab, Spanish Four Knights: 6.Nd5 — Meet It with ...e4!, 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nxe5 — Strike Back with ...d5!, 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nc3 Nxc3 5.bxc3 — Punish with ...d5 and ...e4, 3.d3 — The Quiet Sidestep, 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4: 6.Bxd5? — Punishing the Wrong Recapture

Free sample: the main line, move by move

• 1. e4 — White grabs the center — the starting point of the vast majority of games you will ever face.
• 1... e5 — You meet it head-on, claiming your own share of the center.
• 2. Nf3 — White develops with a threat: the knight attacks the e5 pawn.
• 2... Nf6 — The Petroff move. Instead of defending e5, you counterattack e4 — symmetry as a weapon. If White does nothing about your threat, you are simply happy to trade blows in the center on equal terms.
• 3. Nxe5 — The Classical main line: White grabs the pawn, betting that the open position favors the first player.
• 3... d6 — The golden rule of the Petroff — kick the knight FIRST. Do NOT play 3...Nxe4?? here: after 4.Qe2! the knight is pinned to your king down the open e-file, and 4...Qe7 5.Qxe4 d6 6.d4! leaves White up material or with a crushing lead. Play ...d6, make White's knight retreat, and only then win back the e4 pawn.
• 4. Nf3 — The knight retreats to its best square — the greedy 4.Nxf7 (the Cochrane Gambit, Chapter 4) hands you a piece.
• 4... Nxe4 — NOW you take on e4 — safely, because White's knight is off the e-file and there is no Qe2 pin to fear. Material is level and you have a beautifully centralized knight.
• 5. d4 — White stakes out the center and prepares to challenge your e4 knight.
• 5... d5 — The key supporting move: your d-pawn props up the e4 knight so it cannot simply be chased away. The symmetrical pawn structure (White d4, Black d5) is the heart of the Petroff — solid and hard to attack.
• 6. Bd3 — White develops the bishop to its most active diagonal, eyeing your e4 knight and the h7 square.
• 6... Be7 — Quiet, flexible development. The bishop clears the way to castle and keeps every plan open — ...Bg4, ...Nc6 and the ...f5 fortress all follow from here.
• 7. O-O — White castles into safety.
• 7... Nc6 — You develop with pressure on d4, the standard classical setup. The knight eyes the b4 and e5 squares and adds a defender to your own center.
• 8. Re1 — White puts the rook on the open e-file, pressuring your knight and the e-file generally.
• 8... Bg4 — The pin! Your bishop nails the f3 knight to White's queen, removing a key defender of d4 and easing the pressure down the e-file. This is a signature Petroff move.
• 9. c3 — White shores up d4 and makes a luft for the queen, preparing to untangle.
• 9... f5 — The fortress is complete. The f-pawn cements your e4 knight in place — now it can never be dislodged by a piece, because a pawn defends it. Black is rock-solid: the e4 knight is a permanent thorn and the Bg4 pins f3.
• 10. Nbd2 — White reroutes the knight toward the kingside via f1-g3, the standard plan to pressure your e4 knight and the f5 pawn.
• 10... O-O — You castle into safety — the fortress is airtight, so you calmly finish development and turn to your own play with ...Kh8, ...Rf6-h6 or ...Qe8-h5.
• 11. Nf1 — The knight heads for g3 to eye e4 and f5.
• 11... Kh8 — Prophylaxis: the king steps off the a7-g1 diagonal and clears g8, readying ...Rf6-h6 or ...Qe8-h5 for your own attack.
• 12. h3 — White nudges the bishop, since ...Bg4 still guards your f5 pawn along the diagonal.
• 12... Bh5 — You keep the bishop active — it still defends f5 and can drop back to g6 to bolster the whole kingside.
• 13. Ng3 — The knight arrives, hitting the h5 bishop, e4 and f5 — but your e4 outpost is nailed down by the d5 pawn and cannot be won.
• 13... Be8 — The bishop calmly retreats, ready to swing to g6 and permanently cement f5 and the e4 knight. Black stands equal with play on both wings — the Petroff fortress at its very best.

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