The Philidor Defense is 1. 2. : you hold e5 with a pawn, but the f8 bishop is boxed in and can only come out to e7. According to Lichess data from September 2026 (N = 985,036 games between 900 and 1700), your opponent with White scores 52.6%. Against 3., strong players trade with and go after e4 with the knight.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
38 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
At your level, after , your opponent plays 3. in 43 in 100 games and 3. in almost 3 in 10. Above 2200 online it flips: 3. in 63 in 100, 3. in 25. Against 3., players at your level answer in 46 in 100 and in 21. The biggest gap comes after 4.: strong players choose about 7 times in 10, while at your level it's under 3 in 10, and 18 in 100 go for instead. In all four bands from 900 to 1700 you score between 47 and 48 in 100.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42.8% | 52.4% | 25.1% | 14.9% | |
| 28.5% | 53.8% | 63.3% | 85.1% | |
| 13.3% | 52.1% | 6.5% | no data | |
| 4.8% | 53.0% | no data | no data | |
| 3.7% | 52.5% | 2.1% | no data | |
| 2.6% | 50.1% | 0.7% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.7% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46.1% | 52.5% | 53.1% | 90.2% | |
| 20.8% | 55.0% | 10.0% | no data | |
| 9.2% | 55.3% | 4.6% | no data | |
| 5.9% | 55.7% | no data | no data | |
| 4.0% | 56.7% | 7.9% | no data | |
| 3.6% | 50.7% | 18.4% | 9.8% | |
| no data | no data | 4.5% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67.9% | 52.5% | 80.0% | 87.0% | |
| 16.0% | 52.3% | 13.7% | 13.0% | |
| 8.0% | 53.2% | 3.2% | no data | |
| 3.8% | 48.5% | no data | no data | |
| 3.8% | 56.4% | 3.1% | no data | |
| 0.2% | 44.8% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28.9% | 51.2% | 70.9% | 100.0% | |
| 17.8% | 53.9% | 1.3% | no data | |
| 12.2% | 50.2% | 9.0% | no data | |
| 11.3% | 52.3% | no data | no data | |
| 10.8% | 53.5% | 7.6% | no data | |
| 4.3% | 52.0% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 9.6% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.5% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69.1% | 52.8% | 96.4% | 100.0% | |
| 11.6% | 49.3% | 3.0% | no data | |
| 10.0% | 48.8% | no data | no data | |
| 3.0% | 45.4% | no data | no data | |
| 2.3% | 46.8% | 0.7% | no data | |
| 0.6% | 43.1% | no data | no data |
The strong players' line is 3. 4. 5. 6. . You trade off your e5 pawn and give up the centre, and in return your pieces come out with threats: the knight hits e4, the bishop gets out via e7 and your king castles short.
After 3., e5 is attacked twice, by the d4 pawn and the f3 knight, and defended once, by d6. settles that count before your opponent gets to choose how to trade. 4. wins the pawn back with a centralised knight, but it leaves e4 with no defender at all. That is why comes straight away: it hits e4 and forces your opponent to cover it. Strong players reply 5. in 96 games out of 100.
Now it's the f8 bishop's turn. With a pawn on d6 it can only go to e7, and gets it out and clears f8 for castling. 6. eyes d6 through the empty e5 square, but that pawn has three defenders: the c7 pawn, the e7 bishop and the queen. So you castle with , as 95 in 100 strong players do. With your e-pawn gone, the e-file is half-open for you, with e4 at the end of it.
Move order matters. At your level, after 4., 18 in 100 play . It kicks the knight, but no pawn can ever defend d6 again, and none of your pawns covers d5 any more. You score 46 in 100 with and 49 with .
Don't hold the tension with either, the second most common reply at your level. e5 is still attacked twice and defended once. After 4., if you take back with the pawn, the queens come off on d8, your king loses the right to castle, and the knight takes on e5, hitting f7 and your g4 bishop at once. With you score 45 in 100; with , 47.5.
If your opponent goes 3., as 43 in 100 do at your level, the bishop is aiming at f7. Develop with , which also hits e4 while it is still undefended.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 5,569 | 63.6% | |
| 4,143 | 53.6% | |
| 2,249 | 80.2% | |
| 1,783 | 71.6% | |
| 1,259 | 96.5% | |
| 1,660 | 89.9% | |
| 1,452 | 26.2% | |
| 362 | 95.3% |
An inaccuracy. After 3., pins the f3 knight to the queen, but 4. hits e5 twice and you cover it with . Then 5. puts the question to the bishop, and after 6. your opponent keeps both bishops. 23 in 100 choose it; you score 48, against 50 with .
23 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 47.9%; scores 50.2%.
A mistake. After 3., props up e5 with a second pawn, but it takes f6 from your g8 knight and opens the diagonal to your king: 4. sees g8 through f7, and while it stays there you can't castle kingside. Play goes 5. 6. . 6 in 100 play it; you score 44, against 47.5 with .
6 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.4 pawns of advantage. It scores 44.3%; scores 47.5%.
A mistake, though at your level it rarely gets punished. After 3., hits e4 but empties f7 next to your king. 4. 5. threatens to land on f7 and fork your queen and rook; guards that square, and 6. sends your knight home. 2 in 100 play it, and you score 47.5, against 45 with .
2 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 2.3 pawns of advantage. It scores 47.5%; scores 45.3%.
An inaccuracy. After 3., brings the queen out early and takes f6 from your g8 knight. After 4. 5. 6. , you are left with doubled c-pawns. 2 in 100 play it, and at your level it goes unpunished: you score 51, against 45 with .
2 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 50.7%; scores 45.3%.
A mistake. After 3., hits e4, which the knight already defends. 4. 5. leaves your opponent's knight in the centre, e5 attacked twice and your kingside without its f-pawn. After , 6. pins your knight to the queen until . Fewer than 4 in 100 play it; you score 48, against 50 with .
4 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 47.9%; scores 50.2%.
An inaccuracy. After 3., puts the bishop where only the f7 pawn defends it. 4. hits e5 twice, you cover it with , and 5. attacks the bishop. After 6. , your opponent's queen sits in the centre, eyeing d6, g7 and a7. 5 in 100 play it; you score 47, against 50 with .
5 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 47.1%; scores 50.2%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 388,402 | ||
| Not castled | 201,960 | |
| 92,951 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 91,660 |
| 71,104 | ||
| Not castled | 51,627 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 181 | ||
| 51 | ||
| Not castled | 12 | |
| 12 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 9 |
| Not castled | 5 |
1. 2. 3. · 115,433 amateur games · 54 over the board
gives up the centre to free your pieces; across 115,433 games you score almost 48 in 100.
1. 2. 3. · 19,529 amateur games · 3 over the board
hits e4 instead of covering e5, which is attacked twice; you score about 44 in 100.
1. 2. 3. · 12,439 amateur games · 7 over the board
defends e5 a second time and keeps the pawn; you score almost 50 in 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 11,601 amateur games
After , 4. leaves the pawn alone and aims at f7; you score 47 in 100.
1. 2. 3. · 9,651 amateur games
After 3., hits e4 and empties f7 next to your king; you score 47 in 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 6,510 amateur games · 193 over the board
After 4., guards e5 with the knight; you score 50.5 in 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 5,890 amateur games
After , 4. hits your d4 pawn and offers the c-pawn; you score under 44 in 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 5,748 amateur games
After 3. , 4. prepares a supported d-pawn push; you score 48 in 100.
1. 2. 3. · 5,696 amateur games · 2 over the board
hits e4 while e5 is still attacked twice; you score 45 in 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. · C41
2,631 amateur games · White's score: 52.6%
1. 2. 3. · C41
826 amateur games · White's score: 56.2%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C41
618 amateur games · White's score: 49.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C41
401 amateur games · White's score: 52.1%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C41
290 amateur games · White's score: 60.3%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C41
286 amateur games · White's score: 52.3%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C41
92 amateur games · White's score: 54.3%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. · C41
5 amateur games · White's score: 30.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · C41
3 amateur games · White's score: 66.7%
It's after 1. 2.: you defend e5 with a pawn rather than with the b8 knight. The price is that your f8 bishop can only come out to e7. It turns up in 3 in 100 Lichess games between 900 and 1700, and you can also reach it with 1. 2. .
It's playable, but it concedes a little. After 3. your opponent keeps a small edge, a bit over half a pawn (0.54). Between 900 and 1700 you score about 47 in 100 in every band, and 48 above 2200 online. What costs you is replies like , at 45 in 100, or , at 44, against 47.5 with .
Against 3., trade with , and after 4. hit e4 with , because that pawn has lost its last defender. Then develop the bishop with and castle kingside. That is how strong players handle it; at your level, fewer than 3 in 10 find there.