LeeRoth wrote on 04/20/20 at 14:16:31:
Every time we have a discussion over whether openings are good or bad for amateurs, I think of the following: "At amateur level, all the main openings are good, as long as you get your pieces out." Forget where I heard this or which GM said it, but the Petroff clearly makes the cut. After all, there can't be too much wrong with the open piece place, sound structure, etc., which characterize the old main lines. At amateur levels, if you get the pieces out and start fighting, good things tend to happen.
That said, I'm not sure how often Black actually gets to see the old main lines. When you get to levels where people are reading repertoire books, I imagine that Black will see 5.Nc3 most often. That Carlsen-Caruana game was terrifying, and, at amateur level, the 5.Nc3 line seems to give White hackers exactly what they want -- a chance to castle long and fling pawns mindlessly at the enemy king. It takes a certain kind of Black player to be willing to play into this on a regular basis. If it doesn't bother you, then godspeed.
This analogy may not completely work, but to me, the Petroff seems a lot like the French. People are attracted to the main lines -- the old main lines of the Petroff and the Winawer or the McCutcheon in the French -- but can't get them on the board as often as they like. The alternatives are not "antis" that leave White worse than the main lines, but dangerous systems in and of themselves (such as the Tarrasch or the Steinitz), and, in addition, there is a "drawing" line that can be annoying. Yet, there are people who love the French, so why not the Petroff too?
That 5.Nc3 line has been hyped a lot but below Master level I think white has more interesting choices. The thing is against 5.Nc3 Black doesn't have to go kingside, he can meet 0-0-0 plans with 0-0-0 and 0-0 plans with 0-0 the so called mirror strategy and those positions require a lot of skill to get more than a half point as White. Amateurs tend to get all caught up in regurgitating the trends of elite players, but when choosing suitable opening lines for the level opposition one will likely face, it is often necessary to cast your net wider.
Finding sound lines that are psychologically unpleasant for the opponent is a useful skill to have, and Petroff players on the low end of the spectrum are usually looking for a simple game, trade a few pieces, head for an ending and see what turns up. To avoid the previously mentioned scenario, White often loses his mind trying to generate something, black then collects the point and goes away thinking isn't the Petroff grand.
Clearly facing the Petroff requires a lot of thought beforehand if you want to confidently fight for the win instead of having to give up an easy half point, therefore you need something in your pocket against it, as trying to wing it at the Board is likely to backfire badly. So lets do our facing Petroff checklist:
1) Aim for asymmetrical structure - check
2) Avoid unnecessary exchanges - check
3) Opposite side castling if possible - check
4) IQP positions should not be feared - check
5) Be patient, Rome wasn't built in a day - check
6) If all else fails do not self destruct, allow the half point - check
Pages: 
Playing the Petroff by Dhopade (Read 57702 times)
