Chess: Understanding Petroff's Defense*

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4
5 Nc3:



Asking the advanced e4 knight to declare its intentions.



5 ... Nxc3
5 ... Nf6
5 ... Bf5
5 ... d5
5 ... Qe7
5 ... f5
5 ... Nc5
5 ... Ng5

“In the good old days, games were generally lost as the result of large-scale mistakes. In modern chess, a trifling mistake in the opening may lead almost by force to a catastrophe.”

The Fireside Book of Chess
Selected and edited by
Irving Chernev & Fred Reinfeld

Where Do We Go From Here?



E-Five Encounter!?:
5 ... Nxc3 6 dxc3 Nc6 7 Bf4 Be7
8 Qd2 Bg4 9 Be2 Qd7 10 O-O-O
10 ... O-O-O 11 h3 Be6 12 Bb5
12 ... a6 13 Ba4 Bf6 14 Bg5 Bxg5
15 Nxg5 b5.
5 ... Nf6 6 d4 Be7 7 Bd3 0-0
8 0-0 Re8 9 Re1 d5 10 Bf4.



Light Square Loving!?:
5 ... Nxc3 6 dxc3 Nc6 7 Bf4 Be7
8 Qd2 Bg4 9 Be2 Qd7 10 O-O-O
10 ... O-O-O 11 h3 Bh5 12 Rhe1
12 ... a6 13 Qd5 Bg6 14 Nd4 Nxd4
15 Rxd4 c6.
5 ... Ng5 6 Nxg5 Qxg5 7 d4 Qf6
8 Nd5 Qe6+ 9 Qe2 Na6 10 Qe3
10 ... Qxe3+ 11 Nxe3 c6 12 Be2 Be7.



5 ... Nxc3 6 dxc3 Be7 7 Bc4 0-0
8 0-0 c6 9 Re1 d5 10 Bd3 Re8
11 Nd4 c5.

5 ... d5 6 Qe2 Be6 7 Nxe4 dxe4
8 Qxe4 Qd5 9 d3 Nc6 10 Ng5 Qxe4+
11 dxe4 Bg4 12 Be3 Nb4 13 Bb5+.



5 ... Bg4 6 Qe2 d5 7 d3 Bb4
8 dxe4 0-0 9 Bf4 dxe4
10 Qxe4 Re8 11 Ne5 Nc6
12 Bb5.

5 ... Nc5 6 d4 Ncd7 7 Bd3 Be7
8 0-0 Nf6 9 Re1 0-0 10 Bg5 d5
11 Qd2 Re8.



5 ... Nxc3 6 dxc3 Nc6 7 Bf4 Be7
8 Qd2 Bg4 9 Be2 Qd7 10 h3 Bxf3
11 Bxf3 Qe6+ 12 Be2 O-O 13 O-O.



5 ... f5 6 Qe2 Be7 7 Nxe4 fxe4
8 Qxe4 d5 9 Qf4 Bf6 10 Qe3+ Qe7
11 Qxe7+ Bxe7 12 Bb5+ c6
13 Be2 0-0.

5 ... Nxc3 6 dxc3 Nc6 7 Bf4 Be7
8 Qd2 Bg4 9 Be2 Qd7 10 h3 Be6
11 O-O-O a6 12 Ng5 Bxg5
13 Bxg5 O-O 14 Rhe1 b5
15 g4 f6.



5 ... Nf6 6 d4 Be7 7 Bd3 0-0
8 0-0 Re8 9 Re1 d5 10 Bf4.
5 ... Nxc3 6 dxc3 Be7 7 Bc4 0-0
8 0-0 c6 9 Re1 d5 10 Bd3 Re8
11 Nd4 c5.



5 ... Nc5 6 d4 Ncd7 7 Nd5 Be7
8 Nxe7 Qxe7+ 9 Be2 0-0 10 0-0 Re8
11 Bd3 Qd8 12 Re1 Rxe1+ 13 Qxe1.

5 ... f5 6 Qe2 Be7 7 Nxe4 fxe4
8 Qxe4 d5 9 Qf4 Bf6 10 Qe3+ Kf7
11 d4 Re8 12 Ne5+ Bxe5.



5 ... Ng5 6 Nxg5 Qxg5 7 d4 Qf6
8 Nd5 Qe6+ 9 Ne3 Qf6 10 Be2 c6
11 d5 Nd7 12 0-0 Be7.

5 ... d5 6 Qe2 Be7 7 Nxe4 dxe4
8 Qxe4 Nd7 9 Bc4 Nb6 10 Bb3 0-0
11 0-0 Qd6 12 Ne5 Be6.



5 ... Bg4 6 Qe2 d5 7 d3 Bb4
8 dxe4 0-0 9 Bf4 dxe4 10 Qxe4
10 ... Re8 11 Ne5 Nc6 12 Bb5.



5 ... Nf6 6 d4 Be7 7 Bd3 0-0
8 0-0 Nc6 9 Re1 Nb4 10 d5 Bg4
11 Be2 Re8 12 Be3.

5 ... Nxc3 6 dxc3 Be7 7 Bc4 0-0
8 0-0 c6 9 Re1 d5 10 Bd3 Re8
11 c4 Bg4 12 Bf4 d4.



5 ... Ng5 6 Nxg5 Qxg5 7 d4 Qf6
8 Bc4 c6 9 Ne4 Qg6 10 Qe2 Be7
11 Bg5 Bxg5.



5 ... Nc5 6 d4 Ncd7 7 Nd5 Be7
8 Bd3 0-0 9 0-0 Re8 10 Re1 Nf6
11 Nxe7+ Rxe7 12 Bg5.

5 ... f5 6 Qe2 Be7 7 Nxe4 fxe4
8 Qxe4 c6 9 Be2 0-0 10 0-0 d5
11 Qe3 Qd6 12 Ne5 Nd7.



5 ... d5 6 Qe2 Be6 7 Nxe4 dxe4
8 Qxe4 Qd5 9 d3 Nc6 10 Ng5 Qxe4+
11 dxe4 Bg4 12 Bc4 Bb4+ 13 c3.

5 ... Bf5 6 Qe2 Be7 7 Nxe4 0-0
8 d4 Re8 9 Ng3 Bf6 10 Be3 Be6
11 Qb5 Bc8.