Current position
Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Mason-Showalter Variation
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6
The Petrov's Defense starts with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 and is catalogued under ECO C42, in the open games & french half of the book. The catalog indexes 50 lines inside it, grouped into 43 named variations, and the position after those moves has 1 playable continuation to walk from here.
Root edges show how often each move is played around your Elo. Use the arrow on a position to reveal the next replies.
Current setup
Move ideas
Claims the center with a pawn and opens lines for the queen and king’s bishop.
Idea: Build quick development and make early castling possible.
Meets White’s center directly and opens lines for Black’s queen and bishop.
Idea: Fight for equal central space in a balanced, open position.
Develops the king’s knight and attacks Black’s e5-pawn.
Idea: Increase central pressure while getting ready to castle.
Develops the knight to f6, bringing it into the game.
Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.
Captures the pawn on e5 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.
Idea: Remove an active defender and improve the moving piece’s influence.
Advances to d6 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.
Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.
Repositions the knight to f3, where it influences a new part of the board.
Idea: Improve the piece’s activity and support the next stage of the plan.
Captures the pawn on e4 and changes the local pawn or piece balance.
Idea: Remove an active defender and improve the moving piece’s influence.
Advances to d4 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.
Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.
Advances to d5 to claim central space and control nearby key squares.
Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.
Develops the bishop to d3, bringing it into the game.
Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.
Develops the knight to c6, bringing it into the game.
Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.
Tucks the king away and activates the rook in a single move.
Idea: Finish kingside development so the central pieces can coordinate safely.
Develops the bishop to e7, bringing it into the game.
Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.
Repositions the rook to e1, where it influences a new part of the board.
Idea: Improve the piece’s activity and support the next stage of the plan.
Develops the bishop to g4, bringing it into the game.
Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.
Advances the c-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares.
Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.
Waiting for Lichess game popularity.
Each line below is an indexed entry under Petrov's Defense. Open one to load it on the board and keep exploring from that position.
19 more named lines sit inside this family — the tree above walks all of them.
ECO groups openings by the structures they lead to, so these families tend to share plans with the Petrov's Defense.