1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6
After 2.Nf3 Black is by no means obliged to defend his e-pawn. Instead, with 2...Nf6 they can launch a counter-attack on the white e-pawn. The Russians Alexander Petroff (1794-1867) and Carl Friedrich Jänisch (1813-1872) made important contributions to the development of this variation in the 19th century, which is why the system was given the name The Petroff Defence (or Russian Game).
Unnoticed for a long time in the second half of the 20th century, it developed into one of the most reliable ways of achieving a draw with Black at top level in the 1980s. World-class players such as Karpov, Yusupov, Gelfand, Kramnik and Anand incorporated the defence into their repertoire and the increasingly difficult question for White arose: how to gain an advantage against the Petroff? It must be said that even nowadays this question remains without an answer and almost every modern top player included the Petroff in their opening repertoire.
One of the most natural attempts for White to continue is 3.Nxe5. Black must not then immediately capture on e4, because after 4.Qe2 they would already lose material due to the open e-file. The correct move is to expel the knight with 3...d6
and after 4.Nf3 (4.Nxf7 is the wild Cochrane Gambit, probably only suitable for adventurers) 4...Nxe4 follows.
5.Nc3 is an interesting attempt to tighten up the game.
After 5...Nxc3 6.dxc3 White intends 7.Be3 or 7.Bf4 together with 8.Qd2 and 0-0-0.
However, the main variation is 5.d4, after which 5...d5 leads to a symmetrical pawn structure with an open e-file.
If the black king's knight were on f6, a position from the French exchange variation would be on the board. But be careful, the knight on e4 can also cause Black problems. After 6.Bd3, Black can choose between 6...Nc6, 6...Bd6 and 6...Be7, all of which lead to very elaborate variations. The Petroff is rarely seen at club level. Presumably because it is often associated with draws and boredom - but perhaps wrongly. In many variations, quite lively piece play can develop, and if the players are prepared to take risks, the Petroff can also lead to very exciting games.