Petroff Defense

This is the Petroff Defense, In Russia they call it the Russian Defense. Instead of defending his e5 pawn black chooses to play Nf6 counterattacking whites e-pawn. I posted the main line for it but I want everyone reading this topic to post a variation and say which side they think comes off better from it. Thanks for reading --FifthDimension

qe2 doesnt give white anything main trys are nc3 and d4 instead

Yes you mean

That would win the queen but black could play

@ eaglex

I'm just coping out what it says in my book, It was written by a IGM ( international grandmaster ) so if you want to argue with him be my guest.

White checks on h5 with the queen and stands much better

after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 white has the opportunity to play d4. After the main move

3.Nxe4 d6 White has a brutal move: 4.Nxf7!? the J. Cochrane Gambit, where white has initiative and center for his material. He also gets a 4 on 2 kingside majority, which is used to attack the black king if it chooses to stay on the kingside.

After the normal 4.Nf3 Nxe5 the more dynamic choice is 5.Nc3, where black castles kingside and white 0-0-0. White will go for an attack, but black can still get a roughly equal game if he plays carefully

The dull 5.d4 is also a main line, where black wants to keep the knight on e5.

Yes thanks I didn't notice that, 

Heres a random vairiation.

Let me say that again... Its completely random. I don't think anyone would ever want to play this in a game.

this is completely fine for white. I used this variation against a player rated 1700 USCF and won recently

Oh ok cool

I personally like 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 playing for the endgame.

@Conquistador

After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 (3...Nc6 is the 4 knights which is fine too.)
Black is atleast equal if not a bit better.

Yes but black has two undevopled pieces and his rook is going to get pushed around some hanging out in the middle of the board like that.

The Petroff turns an e4 game into a d4 game my quickly exchanging the key and often weak e pawn.  After exchanging I'd play d4 Bd3 and then things like Re1 c4/Bc3 or Nbd2/c3 and it's a slow positional game.

I like to play this variation instead.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nxe5 0-0 5.Be2 Re8 6.Nd3 Bxc3 7.dxc3 Nxe4 8.0-0 with a slight endgame advantage for white.

You wouldn't play Nxf7 after Nxe4 but in the mainline like this http://www.chess.com/games/view.html?id=4111983

You can even try it against really skilled Petroff lovers frm Russia http://www.chess.com/games/view.html?id=947141