As Black
Petroff Defence
The Petroff Defence is a chess opening for Black that starts with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6.
Instead of defending e5, Black counterattacks e4. Very solid: symmetrical positions where it is hard to lose.
Reviewed on November 6, 2026 · Prepared by Josep Serrano Ballestero
5 lines
Steinitz Attack: 3.d4
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5 Nd7 6.Nxd7 Bxd7 7.O-O Bd6
Against 5.Nc3
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3 O-O 8.Qd2 Nd7 9.O-O-O Nf6
Against 3.Bc4
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nc3 Nxc3 5.dxc3 f6
Classical line
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.O-O Be7 8.c4 Nb4
Against 3.Nc3
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 d6
Frequently asked questions
Is the Petroff Defence good for beginners?
It suits players who already have some experience. On OpeningCraft it is aimed at players with Elo 1400 – 1600. It suits players who prefer long-term plans and pawn structure.
How many lines of the Petroff Defence do you need to learn?
OpeningCraft teaches 5, in blocks of 5. They come from real Lichess games at each rating band, and the traps and opponent mistakes most common at your level come first.