Philidor Defense: How to play against it?

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Attacking the Philidor Defense

Course 103 episodes
(5 hours 32 min)
Creators GM Avetik Grigoryan

The Philidor Defense seems like a rock-solid opening. After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6, Black is happy to complete their development without throwing any punches in the opening.

At the amateur level, this strategy works fine. But at higher levels, many avoid playing the Philidor with Black, and for good reasons! 

This course will show you exactly how to counter the Philidor Defense covering all the mainlines, sidelines, and gambits step-by-step along with the main ideas...

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Below are some of the positions from this course:

Philidor DefensePhilidor DefensePhilidor DefensePhilidor DefensePhilidor DefensePhilidor DefensePhilidor DefensePhilidor Defense

After watching the course, you’ll be ready to take the initiative and space in the opening the next time somebody plays the Philidor. 

Let’s begin!

What you'll learn

  • A full opening repertoire against 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6, covering all important variations, sidelines and ideas.
  • How to play with a space advantage and make it harder for Black’s army to breathe.
  • The major downsides and flaws in Black's opening strategy.
  • Why Philidor Defense is seen rarely in top-level chess events?
  • How to convert your opening advantage into a win, explained through model games. 
  • A novelty to counter a trendy line for Black, covered in the Advanced section and more. 

Course Content

  • media 103
    Episodes
  • quiz 1
    Attachments
  • time 5 hours 32 min
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4.9

Students give this course an average of 4.9 out of 5 stars.

Georgiy Zhenchenko
Georgiy Zhenchenko
good explaining
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks!
Nishant Bhardwaj
Nishant Bhardwaj
brilliant
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks!
Vismith Prabhu
Vismith Prabhu
Amazing, covers all the lines. Thank youAvetik for another star course
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GM_Avetik Grigoryan
Thanks, my friend!
Boi Bling
Boi Bling
100 percent a great course for playing against the philidor. As usual, gm avetik grigoryan teaches very well
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ChessMood
Thank you too! :)
bac chus
bac chus
great course! 100%
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ChessMood
Why not 107? :) Thanks!
Artyom Manukyan
Artyom Manukyan
WIM_Siranush Ghukasyan
WIM_Siranush Ghukasyan
Giorgos Kechagias
Giorgos Kechagias
So easy to remember and play!
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ChessMood
We tried our best :)
Gor Avetisyan
Gor Avetisyan
Mikhail Salnikov
Mikhail Salnikov
Bhabatosh Chowdhury
Bhabatosh Chowdhury
super clear , if we can remember few critical moves/lines anyone playing Phillidor against us will have some tough time defending . Thank you sir , amazing as usual
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ChessMood
Thank you, sir! :)
Franck steenbekkers
Franck steenbekkers
In one word great..i hope soon the hanham part will be Published. Keep up the good job
GM Avetik Grigoryan
GM Avetik Grigoryan

After having a successful playing career where he became the Armenian Champion in 2010, GM Avetik Grigoryan found his passion for chess coaching and switched to it full-time. 

Since then, he has guided many ambitious players to become Grandmasters and International Masters and has over 10 years of coaching experience.

He believes anyone can improve at chess, with the right mood and proper direction. And with that vision, he founded ChessMood in 2018.

After having a successful playing career where he became the Armenian Champion in 2010, GM Avetik Grigoryan found his passion for chess coaching and switched to it full-time. 

Since then, he has guided many ambitious players to become Grandmasters and International Masters and has over 10 years of coaching experience.

He believes anyone can improve at chess, with the right mood and proper direction. And with that vision, he founded ChessMood in 2018.

The Philidor Defense begins after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6. With 2…d6, Black has revealed some of their intentions. They are happy to give space and take a cramped position. In the meanwhile, they will try to finish their development peacefully.

As a result, the Philidor has a reputation for being a solid opening, which can be tough to crack for inexperienced players.
However, White can keep the initiative and force Black into passive positions, with correct play.

History of the Philidor Defense

The opening is named after François-André Philidor, one of the famous masters of the 18th century. He began to employ it as an alternative to 2...Nc6. 

However, he wasn’t the first to play it.

The first game in the Philidor Defense dates back to 1575. It was played between Giovanni da Cutri Leonardo - Ruy López de Segura, in Madrid. White won the game.

How to play against the Philidor Defense?

White can strike in the center with 3.d4. Black has many different options including 3…exd4, 3…Nd7 or 3…Nf6. In all of them, White will try to make the most of their space advantage.

Black can also try the Philidor counter gambit with 3…f5, which was the original intention of François-André Philidor. However, pushing the f-pawn early in the opening comes with its downsides. In this case, White gets an advantage after 4.Nc3.

Is the Philidor Defense good?

You won’t see this opening being employed frequently at the top level, which explains what the top players think about it. With precise play, White keeps a small initiative and Black has to be passive. Because of this, we wouldn’t recommend beginners to play this line.

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Course
play 103
Episodes
file 1
Attachments
time 5 hours 32 min
Creators GM Avetik Grigoryan
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