Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4
What Is The Classical Attack?
5.d4 is the point of the Classical Attack: instead of chasing the knight on e4, you build the biggest centre and open the c1 bishop. Black answers 5...d5, and the position settles into a mirror: pawns on d4 and d5, the e-file wide open, and Black's knight on e4 anchored by the d5 pawn. The knight on e4 is not loose, so White undermines its support with c2-c4 rather than attacking it directly.
That c4 push decides the character: White concedes structural damage on the queenside or an isolated d-pawn in return for freer pieces and pressure down the open e-file. Black aims for ...c5 or ...Bf5, trades a pair of pieces and heads for a level endgame. Whoever plants a rook on the e-file first sets the terms.
How Do You Play Against The Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack?
78% reply 5...d5, and it is close to forced. White has played d4 to open the centre while Black's knight sits on e4, and without ...d5 that knight has no support and no future.
The knight on e4 is the whole Petrov, so every plan on both sides is really about whether it can stay there. White will play Bd3, O-O and Re1 to pile up against it, and Black holds it with ...d5, ...Bd6 and ...O-O. The resulting positions are symmetrical enough to look drawish and sharp enough to lose quickly if you stop paying attention. Black scores well here, 49% to 39% over 215 games, though the sample is modest.
How Does Play Continue From Here?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| d5 | 78% | 204 | |
| Be7 | 10% | 27 | |
| Bg4 | 5% | 14 | |
| Nf6 | 2% | 6 |
The Named Lines Of The Classical Attack
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Closed Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 Nf6 |
| Marshall Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bd6 |
| Mason-Showalter Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 |
| Mason Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Be7 7.O-O O-O |
| Jaenisch Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.O-O Be7 8.c4 |
| Chigorin Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Be7 7.O-O Nc6 8.Re1 |
| Staunton Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.O-O O-O 8.c4 c6 |
| Tarrasch Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.O-O O-O 8.c4 Bg4 |
| Chigorin Variation, Main 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 9.Be2 |
| Chigorin Variation, Browne Attack | 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 9.cxd5 |
| Marshall Variation, Chinese Gambit | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.O-O O-O 8.c4 c6 9.Re1 Bg4 |
| Krause Variation | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.O-O Be7 8.Re1 Bg4 9.c3 f5 10.c4 |
| Berger Variation | 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 |
| Maróczy Variation | 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.c4 Bh4 |
| Marshall Trap | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.O-O O-O 8.c4 Bg4 9.cxd5 f5 10.Re1 Bxh2+ |