greymattermatters wrote on 07/13/09 at 09:18:52:
Hello
I've been trying to find a reference to whether after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7
7.Be3 or 7.Bf4 is considered best but there are few books which mention this. Obviously there is a difference between the moves but it is not easy to judge which is better. What is the theory on this?
Thanks!
Grey
Firstly, this is the Petroff, not the Phillidor - the Phillidor is 2.Nf3 d6.
Secondly, the best sources for studying this line are the New In Chess Yearbooks, starting with Yearbook 65 which partly reveals how this variation became fashionable.
Thirdly, the variation may offer White a slight initiative due to his slight lead in development, but Black's position does not contain any weaknesses, and in my opinion should equalise completely. Therefore, I prefer 5.d4, which offers the best chances of an opening advantage.
Fourthly, both 7.Be3 and 7.Bf4 are equivalent in strength, but both offer Black additional options - as I have stopped studying this line since it seemed too solid for Black, I again refer you to Yearbooks 76-77 (not 100% about the exact numbers).
Finally, you will only face the Petroff very rarely below 2300 level, because of its very drawish reputation. So you'll get away with not playing the most theoretically testing variations as White.
Note: This thread belongs in the '1.e4 e5' section. I would also advise modifying the original thread title with 'Petroff' instead of 'Phillidor' to avoid any confusion.
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Petroff 5.Nc3--- 7.Be3 or 7.Bf4 (Read 2686 times)
