C42 · Open · a defense for Black
Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Berger Variation
19/19
1.e4e52.Nf3Nf63.Nxe5d64.Nf3Nxe45.d4d56.Bd3Be77.O-ONc68.Re1Bg49.c3f510.Nbd2
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Berger Variation1.8k games · Black to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
89%1.6k54%
6.7%11951%
1.5%2744%
1%1858%
1%1833%
0.4%838%
0.2%317%
0.1%250%
0.1%20%
0.1%10%
Famous games in this line138 master games
Anand, Viswanathan (2766) – Grischuk, Alexander (2732)Morozevich, Alexander (2716) – Adams, Michael (2752)Svidler, Peter (2713) – Kramnik, Vladimir (2751)Morozevich, Alexander (2742) – Shirov, Alexei (2715)Ivanchuk, Vassily (2740) – Shirov, Alexei (2710)Morozevich, Alexander (2718) – Karpov, Anatoly (2690)Adams, Michael (2738) – Nielsen, Peter Heine (2652)Volokitin, Andrei (2685) – Dominguez Perez, Leinier (2661)Heroes of this opening Anand, Viswanathan · Ivanchuk, Vassily · Karpov, Anatoly · Dominguez Perez, Leinier
- Family
- Petrov's Defense
- Category
- Open
- First move
- 1.e4
- ECO
- C42
- Line
- 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Be7 7. O-O Nc6 8. Re1 Bg4 9. c3 f5 10. Nbd2
SolidAggressiveClassical
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From the archives
Named for the 19th-century Russian master Alexander Petrov, the Petrov spent a century labeled 'drawish' — then Fabiano Caruana brought it to the 2018 World Championship, where it answered both of Magnus Carlsen's 1.e4 games and drew both. All twelve classical games were drawn and the title went to a rapid tiebreak. Symmetry, it turns out, is a weapon too.
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