About this opening
Philidor Defense: Berger Variation is an opening in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings,
classified under code C41. ECO group C (C00–C99)
covers open games (1.e4 e5) and the French Defence, including the Ruy Lopez, Italian, Scotch and King's Gambit. This particular variation is reached
after 19 half-moves from the
starting position, with the move sequence 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Be7 6. Be2 O-O 7. O-O c5 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. Bg5 Be6 10. Re1.
It belongs to the Philidor Defense family. Within that family this is a sub-variation (the Berger Variation line).
The opening sequence in prose form: 1.e4 e5, 2.Nf3 d6, 3.d4 exd4, 4.Nxd4 Nf6, 5.Nc3 Be7, 6.Be2 O-O. From this position the encyclopaedia records no further canonical continuations — practical play branches into unnamed transpositions or returns to the parent line for alternative ideas.
Use the interactive board above to walk through the moves position-by-position. Click any move in the navigation to step backwards, or use the keyboard arrow keys. For statistical data — how often master-level players have reached this position, White's win-rate, draw frequency, Black's score — see the panel in the right column.
Caissly's coverage of C41 extends through every named sub-variation in this line and across all four locales (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian). Where editorial commentary exists for a specific variation it appears as the page body; otherwise the page presents the structural data, board, and statistics as shown here.