Fritz Trainer: Evergreen Philidor w/Christian Bauer

The Philidor Defence. Subtle, Solid, and Full of Surprises.

The Philidor Defence has a long and rich history — and despite its reputation for solidity, it leads to lively, complex middlegames where subtle manoeuvres and hidden tactical ideas reward the well-prepared player. GM Christian Bauer guides you through the full landscape of the Philidor, covering all the key move orders and White's most important deviations.

What This Course Covers (6h 59min):

• The Hanham Variation (3...Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7) — Black's most solid and popular setup
• The Antoshin Variation (3...exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.Bc4 0-0) — reliable and capable of sharp play, especially when White castles long
• The early ...f5 push (3...f5) — the aggressive, historically significant gambit line
• The fianchetto line (3...exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6) — dynamic but requiring precise handling
• All relevant move orders and White deviations — nothing left unanswered

White will not feel comfortable in the ensuing middlegame, where subtle manoeuvres occur in semi-closed positions that favour the player who understands the ideas.

A Fritz Trainer video course — 6 hours 59 minutes on one of chess's most enduring and underrated defences.

The Philidor Defence. Subtle, solid, and full of surprises. 6h 59min of complete coverage.