1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6
François-André Danican Philidor's (1726-1795) name stands for the 2...d6 defence, in which Black takes a fundamentally different approach to protecting their kingside pawn than in e5 openings, where it is defended by 2...Nc6. In the Philidor system, the queen's pawn supplemented by the queen's knight on d7 supports the e5-pawn, which avoids a pin by Bb5. Black then develops the kingside undisturbed with ...Nf6, ...Be7 and ...0-0 and finally completes their firm build-up with ...c6 and ...Qc7, which aims to defend the e5-point. Based on the first diagram, a typical sequence of moves could look like this: 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Re1 c6 8.a4 :
A modern form of the Philidor Defence pursues a completely different philosophy, namely the "surrender" of the centre with ...exd4. This exchange gives White a space advantage, but the black position is firm and the follower lurks for counter-attacking opportunities. Here is a typical sequence of moves: 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.Be2 0-0 7.0-0 Re8 8.f4 Bf8 9.Bf3:
A great advantage of the Philidor Defence is that Black puts "their" opening on the board on the second move, forcing the attacker onto their own territory. Recommended for players who can wait for a favourable opportunity from a waiting position.