Newsgroups: rec.games.chess.analysis
Path: info!dregis
From: dregis@exeter.ac.uk (D.Regis)
Subject: Re: Petroff Defence
Message-ID: <E5qxnC.F7q@exeter.ac.uk>
Organization: University of Exeter, UK.
References: <5djm8g$anq$1@roch.zetnet.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 1997 12:06:48 GMT

In article <5djm8g$anq$1@roch.zetnet.co.uk> someone@somewhere.earth.com (someone) writes:
>Hi all,
>
>Does anyone know a good line to play against the Petroff (1.e4 e5  2.nf3 nf6)? 
>Black seems to gain equality with such desparing ease (for white that is). I 
>give a couple of the main lines I have tried below
>
>1. e4 e5  2. nf3 nf6  3. nc3 bb4  4.nxe5 0-0  5. be2 re8  6. nd3 bxn  7. pxb 
>nxe4 n every line seems to be fairly equal..
>
>1. e4 e5  2. nf3 nf6  3. d4 nxe4  4. bd3 d5  5. nxe5 be7  6. 0-0 nbd7  7. nxn 
>qxn  8. bxn pxb  9. re1 f5 and again pretty uncompliacted n equal..
>
>Any ideas? Makes me almost want to play d4 exclusively from now on :(.

Hi Andy

There was a fashion for avoiding the Petroff entirely with 2. Bc4,
which is of course no answer at all, but is a nice system. 

Your first line is given by Keene and Levy in the second edition of "An
opening repertoire for the Attacking Club Player" as +/-.

Depending on what sort of player you are, you might fancy the
Cochrane line: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nxe4 d6 4. Nxf7!?

There is a famous trap which I predict you can pull off a few times:

Soderstrom - Tzannetakis cr, 1981. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nxf7
Kxf7 5.d4 Nxe4? 6.Qh5+ Ke7 7.Qe2 +/- e.g. Kf7 8.Qxe4 Qe7 9.Bc4+ Be6
10.Qf5+ 1-0

Vitolins has played it a few times, often catching out the King by
opening lines. With a more closed defence Black can still be
overwhelmed by the Pawns, as in a famous Bronstein game (see 200 Open
games). 

The 3. d4 line seems to be going out of fashion.  The GMs play the
main lines of 3. Nxe4 these days.  Black can find a way to rough
equality in lots of lines, according to the books, but not everyone at
my level (1800) knows the books beyond about move 7 of the main line.
You do get a complex open game with, I would have thought, good
chances of outplaying your opponent.  In playing 1. e4 would sooner
play in these lines than grotty closed games like the French or Closed
Ruy Lopez. 
-- 
May your pieces harmonise with your Pawn structure and
your sacrifices be sound in all variations

D  _       
 / "()/~   Dave Regis  &8^D*         Exeter Chess Coaching Page etc.:
|| \_/|    = DrDave on BICS       http://www.ex.ac.uk/~dregis/DR/chess.html
~\   /                          "...what else exists in the world but chess?"
 _|||__SHEU ~/sheu.html            -- NABOKOV   "Contribute!" -- Doug Attig


From info!dregis Wed Feb 19 09:56:33 GMT 1997
Article: 5521 of rec.games.chess.analysis