Here I getting crushed by Philidor Defense with 3.Bg4
Crushing the Philidor Defense in 8 moves
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The Philidor is sound and playable at all levels.
Bibig9 έγραψε:
how to I move when Phildor Defense 6... Qf6
7.Qb3 and Black has huge problems.
Nov 1, 2025
0
#26
HorsesGalore wrote:
In an open position, Black can not ignore opening principles with 3 .....B-g4. He is just asking to be punished. If you don't think that's a blunder, I don't know what to tell you.
As far as Philidor being passive, I suggest people look at 3......f5, the Philidor Counter Gambit. In New Jersey, USA, Life Master James R West ( he's also on chess.com ) has won hundreds of games with it and published a book on it 20 years ago.
West also has a daily chess blog http://jimwestonchess.blogspot.com/
i dont deny its a bad move but what "principle" is being violated? the move is bad for very concrete reasons
It was very similar to the Morphy game
I play the Philidor all the time.
Here my favourite line:
Kaeldorn wrote:
I play the Philidor all the time.
Here my favourite line:
So, your favorite line is blundering a pawn for nothing as early as move four?
You have apparently spotted a long term positional compensation which noone else (human, or engine) has been able to notice so far. Congratulations!
pfren a écrit :
Kaeldorn wrote:
I play the Philidor all the time.
Here my favourite line:
So, your favorite line is blundering a pawn for nothing as early as move four?
You have apparently spotted a long term positional compensation which noone else (human, or engine) has been able to notice so far. Congratulations!
It's a theoretical line you'll find, for an example, in GM''s Christian Bauer book "The Philidor Files".
Unless White knows better, or has a lucky guess and then plays 10.0-0! Black has a winning attack for the pawn. Well, sure White still has the annoying 13.f3! in store provided they find it, but the odds goes to who's more familiar with the position.
I don't know, oh Greek IM, what it is you're trying to prove with your nasty comment, but it's nothing nice.
pfren a écrit :
So, your favorite line is blundering a pawn for nothing as early as move four?
I don't see how move four is blundering any pawn.
Mar 21, 2026
0
#32
There are alot of moves that preserve the pawn. They're not hard to find. Now it's like +1.5 for white and black has no real attack... It's a terrible position. Really bad.
I see my mistake: I interverted 4th and 5th move. of course it's first Nbd7 then Be7.
Mar 21, 2026
0
#34
This is my favorite way to crush the Philidor. It should not work as often as it does.
Here's a recent game of me getting completely smashed playing the Philidor!
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 Nbd7 5.g4 Nxg4 6.Rg1 Ngf6 7.Bc4 h6 8.Be3 c6 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.Qd3 Nh5? { I try to play not using books, databases etc. in my turn based games to force me to remember some theory, clearly I messed up my lines here, ..b5 is the move had I did such research, } 11.O-O-O Qf6? 12.Nb5! { Completely not expecting this, the rest goes downhill quickly } 12...cxb5 13.Bxb5 Qd8 14.Nxe5 Nhf6 15.Nxf7 Kxf7 16.e5 Qa5 17.exf6 Ne5 18.Bc4+ Kxf6 19.Qe4 Bf5 20.Qh4+
1-0
If g5... Bxg5+ hxg5 Qxb5#
Tactics trainer time! :D... I guess you didn't see this. g5 is forced because black is in a mating net. I don't know if you where trying to say you creamed your opponent or you thought you where losing at this point, but clearly you where winning with a forced mate. This is an interesting opening that I might try someday. The open file for the rook really helped there.
I know the philidor is a tough opening to learn because of all the opening traps you have to look out for when playing it, but I would like to say that the OP's post, for me, is a little enlightening. I normally try for a Legal mate type attacking chance by developing both knights and my bishop to c4 before I do the d4 pawn push, but often times my opponent doesn't blunder like that. I know this new way only works if the opponent does a bad move, but at least this is something different. I now I have two more openings to study, because I encounter the philidor a lot. I have a book on it, however, it is from the black perspective. I'm not interested in playing the Philidor at this time as black but someday I will dust the cobwebs from that book and look it over. It's a pretty big book to, only on one opening!
In short, good post, this gives me something else to try, but the philidor is actually a good opening for black, if you are aware of the traps and now the contents of the book I have...