The Modern Petroff: Reliable, But Never Passive
For decades the Petroff Defence has carried a reputation it never quite deserved. Its solidity at the very top earned it a place in world championship preparation, but the same solidity left it labelled as a drawing weapon, an opening Black chooses in order to hold rather than to play for more.
The Modern Petroff: A Complete Repertoire for Black – Part 1, by GM Michael Roiz and GM Petar Arnaudov, starts from a different premise. Reliable does not have to mean passive.
A Repertoire Built on Activity
The guiding principle is stated plainly by the authors: complete development quickly, keep the position flexible, and make White prove something concrete. That idea shapes the choices throughout the course.
In the classical main line, 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3, Black chooses 6...Bf5. The bishop develops at once and supports the knight on e4, contesting the central squares before White's pieces settle. Against 5.Bd3, before White plays d4, Black is ready to sacrifice a central pawn with 5...d5!, getting the bishop pair and smooth development in return. Against 5.d3, the modern fianchetto with ...g6 keeps the e-file open, and the bishop on g7 gains force after ...c5.
Full Coverage After 3.Nxe5
Roiz and Arnaudov treat both of White's main systems in depth. Alongside the classical 5.d4, two full chapters go to 5.Nc3, where White aims for opposite-side castling and a kingside attack. The sidelines get the same care, including the 4.Nd3 retreat, tried by Magnus Carlsen in his World Championship match against Fabiano Caruana.
Part 1 is devoted entirely to 3.Nxe5. The companion course, The Modern Petroff: A Complete Repertoire for Black – Part 2, completes the repertoire against 3.d4. Together the two parts give Black a complete, consistent answer to 2.Nf3.
Variation Map
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bf5 7.O-O Be7
8.Re1 O-O
- 9.c4 Nc6 10.cxd5 Qxd5 11.Nc3 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Bxd3 13.Qxd3 Rae8 (main line) → Chapter 12
- 9.Nbd2 Nd6 10.Nf1 Bxd3 11.Qxd3 c6 → Chapter 11
- 9.Nc3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Bxd3 11.Qxd3 and other 9th-move sidelines → Chapter 10
8.c4 dxc4 9.Bxc4 O-O → Chapter 9
8.Ne5 Nd7, plus White's 8th-move alternatives → Chapter 8
4.Nf3 Nxe4: White's 5th-move alternatives
- 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7
- 7.Be3 O-O 8.Qd2 Nd7 9.O-O-O Nf6 → Chapter 14
- 7.Bf4 O-O 8.Qd2 Nd7 9.O-O-O Nc5 → Chapter 13
- 5.d3 Nf6 6.d4 g6 → Chapter 7
- 5.Qe2 Qe7 6.d3 Nf6 → Chapter 6
- 5.Bd3 d5! 6.O-O Be7 7.Re1 O-O 8.Bxe4 dxe4 9.Rxe4 c5 → Chapter 5
- 5.c4 Nc6 → Chapter 4
White's 4th-move alternatives
- 4.Nd3 Nxe4 5.Qe2 Qe7 6.Nf4 Nc6 → Chapter 3
- 4.Nc4 Nxe4 5.Qe2 Qe7 6.Ne3 c6 → Chapter 2
- 4.Nxf7 Kxf7 5.d4 c5 → Chapter 1
What's Inside
- 14 Chapters
- 20 test positions
- Memory Booster
- To Go Version of every chapter
- Video instruction
- Multilingual PGN availability (English, German, French, Spanish)
Play the Petroff on Your Own Terms
If the Petroff has looked to you like an opening for holding the balance, this course presents a different picture: quick development, concrete counterplay, and a clear answer to everything White tries after 3.Nxe5. Add The Modern Petroff – Part 1 to your repertoire, and continue with Part 2 to complete the system against 3.d4.