- ECO code
- C42
- Moves
- 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4
- Family
- Petrov's Defense
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 894
- Average game length
- 42 moves
- Years covered
- 1858–2026
Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack is the opening filed under ECO code C42, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4. It belongs to the Petrov's Defense family and is known as the Classical Attack; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 894 games on this line — the 119th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1858 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2000s, with 288 games. An average game here lasts 42 moves.
White wins 31% of those games, 55% end in a draw, and Black wins 14%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 14 percentage points. Draws are more common here than usual, by 20 points.
From this position the most popular move is 5...d5, played in 843 games, followed by 5...Be7 (37) and 5...Bg4 (8). After 5...d5 White scores 30% and Black 14%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Shirov,A (70 games); on the Black side, Kramnik,V (42).
1 named variation branch off this position and have their own page here, among them Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack, Mason-Showalter Variation.
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Results in master games
- White 31% (279)
- Draws 55% (494)
- Black 14% (121)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5...d5 | 843 | 30/56/14 | — |
| 5...Be7 | 37 | 46/51/3 | — |
| 5...Bg4 | 8 | 25/25/50 | — |
| 5...Nf6 | 5 | 60/20/20 | — |
| 5...Nd7 | 1 | 0/0/100 | — |
Variations from this position
- Mason-Showalter Variation · 5...d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 · 337 games
How the position is reached
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 · 62,859 games
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 e5 · 24,632 games
- King's Knight Opening · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 · 21,895 games
- Petrov's Defense · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 · 2,341 games
- Petrov's Defense · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 · 1,694 games
- Petrov's Defense · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 · 1,655 games
- Petrov's Defense · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 · 1,578 games
- Petrov's Defense · 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 · 1,578 games
Played most often by
As White
- Shirov,A 70
- Anand,V 60
- Vachier Lagrave,M 45
As Black
- Kramnik,V 42
- Nepomniachtchi,I 40
- Marshall, Frank James 35
Games per decade
- 1850s 3
- 1860s 1
- 1870s 5
- 1890s 2
- 1900s 16
- 1910s 31
- 1920s 2
- 1950s 2
- 1960s 1
- 1970s 12
- 1980s 47
- 1990s 67
- 2000s 288
- 2010s 147
- 2020s 270
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | Nepomniachtchi,I | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Chess.com Open Loser Playoffs |
| Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | Dominguez Perez,L | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Grischuk,A | Yu Yangyi | 1-0 | 2026 | 8th SCO Int Team Final |
| Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | Fedoseev,Vl3 | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 88th Tata Steel Masters |
| So,W | Yu Yangyi | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Chess.com Open PlayIn2 KO |
| Niemann,Hans Moke | Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 88th Tata Steel Masters |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack?
It is the opening with ECO code C42, reached after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4. It belongs to the Petrov's Defense family.
Is the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack good for White or for Black?
In 894 master games on this line White wins 31%, 55% are drawn and Black wins 14%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is no worse than usual for White than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack?
5...d5 — played in 843 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the Petrov's Defense: Classical Attack?
On the White side Shirov,A (70), Anand,V (60), Vachier Lagrave,M (45); on the Black side Kramnik,V (42), Nepomniachtchi,I (40), Marshall, Frank James (35).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
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