ECO family guide

Philidor Defense — all variations and ECO codes

44 named lines across 1 ECO code (C41). Source: the CC0-licensed lichess.org opening database.

The main line

Position after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 (C41). Open this line on Lichess → · Philidor Defense on Lichess

How the main line scores at your rating

Real Lichess win rates for 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6, playing as black — the family's other variations are not separately tracked for win rate yet, main line only.

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Win/draw/loss rate by rating band
Rating band	Games	White / draw / Black	Score for black
1400-1600	32,424,634	51.0% / 4.2% / 44.7%	46.9%
1600-1800	29,716,014	51.5% / 4.4% / 44.1%	46.3%
1800-2000	16,934,410	52.0% / 4.8% / 43.2%	45.6%
2000+	5,580,858	51.7% / 5.4% / 42.9%	45.6%

All 44 named variations

Every named line in the Philidor Defense family, from the CC0-licensed ECO classification — not separately tracked for win rate, but every ECO code and move sequence is real, sourced data.

C41Philidor Defense (main line) — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6
C41Philidor Defense (main line) — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4
C41Philidor Defense (main line) — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4
C41Philidor Defense (main line) — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Be7
C41Albin-Blackburne Gambit — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Bg4 4.dxe5 Nd7
C41Berger Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.Be2 O-O 7.O-O c5 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.Bg5 Be6 10.Re1
C41Bird Gambit — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3
C41Boden Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 Bd7
C41Exchange Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4
C41Exchange Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4
C41Exchange Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6
C41Hanham Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7
- C41Delmar Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Bc4 c6 5.c3
- C41Krause Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Bc4 c6 5.O-O
- C41Schlechter Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Bc4 c6 5.Nc3
- C41Sharp Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Bc4 Nb6
- C41Steiner Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Bc4 c6 5.O-O Be7 6.dxe5
Hanham
- C41Kmoch Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Bc4 c6 5.Ng5
C41Larsen Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 g6
C41Lion Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7
- C41Bishop Sacrifice — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.Bxf7+
- C41Delayed Bishop Sacrifice — 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.Nf3 e5 5.Bc4 Be7 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.Bxf7+
- C41Forcing Line — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.Ng5 O-O 7.Bxf7+ Rxf7 8.Ne6
- Lion's Claw
  - C41with Bc4 and h6 — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.O-O h6
  - C41with Be2 and c6 — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Be2 Be7 6.O-O c6
- C41Shirov Gambit — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Nc3 Ngf6 5.g4
- C41Sozin Variation — 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.O-O O-O 7.Qe2 c6 8.a4 exd4
C41Lopez Countergambit — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 f5
- C41Jaenisch Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Bc4 exd4 5.Ng5 Nh6 6.Nxh7
C41Morphy Gambit — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4
C41Nimzowitsch Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6
C41Nimzowitsch Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.dxe5
- C41Klein Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Bc4
- C41Rellstab Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.dxe5 Nxe4 5.Qd5
- C41Sokolsky Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.dxe5 Nxe4 5.Nbd2
Nimzowitsch
- C41Larobok Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.Ng5 O-O 7.Bxf7+
- C41Locock Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Ng5
C41Paulsen Attack — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 d5 5.exd5
C41Philidor Countergambit — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5
- C41Berger Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.dxe5 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.e6 Bc5 7.Nc3
- C41Zukertort Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.Nc3
- C41del Rio Attack — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5 4.dxe5 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.e6
C41Philidor Gambit — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Bd7
C41Steinitz Variation — 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Be7 4.c3