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Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack
e4 e5 Bc4 c6White-led opening. The named position is usually reached after e4 e5 2. Bc4 c6 and tends to produce flexible practical play.
Theory 40
Games 47K
Family Bishop's Opening
Opening Profile
Sharpness64
Solidity56
Counterplay56
BeginnerPlayable, but easier once the basic tactical and structural themes of the opening family already make sense.
ClubReliable club opening once you know the first branching points and the main middlegame plan.
AdvancedMore of a practical repertoire branch than a lifetime theory project, but still worth knowing well.
White-led opening. The named position is usually reached after e4 e5 2. Bc4 c6 and tends to produce flexible practical play.
Variations
White's Plans
Convert the first-move initiative into either central space or cleaner piece activity before the position settles.
Treat piece activity and tempo as the priority because the center can open quickly after a single exchange.
Improve the worst-placed piece first so the opening edge turns into a usable middlegame advantage.
Black's Plans
Challenge White's structure before the first-move edge becomes a free space advantage.
Equalize development cleanly and only then release the tension with the freeing pawn break.
Accept a little structural risk if it buys piece activity and practical initiative.
Win Rate Across All Games
45.2% White5.4% Draw49.4% Black
47K
Games
40
Theory Depth
4
Main Line Ply
Typical Structures
Open-game central structure where early exchanges can create fast piece play and tactical pressure.
Development speed often matters more than a single pawn weakness.
Key Motifs
Central forks, pins on the e-file, and fast development shots against loose kings.
Open-piece middlegames where tempi and minor-piece placement matter more than long pawn-chain maneuvering.
Balanced middlegames where transpositions and move-order nuance matter more than memorized traps.
Key Lines
Bishop's OpeningNamed continuation in the same opening family.
e4 e5 Bc4Bishop's Opening: Berlin DefenseNamed continuation in the same opening family.
e4 e5 Bc4 Nf6Bishop's Opening: Boi VariationNamed continuation in the same opening family.
e4 e5 Bc4 Bc5Bishop's Opening: Calabrese CountergambitNamed continuation in the same opening family.
e4 e5 Bc4 f5What Usually Goes Wrong
If the central break never lands on time, the position can become strategically unpleasant very quickly.
The named entry arrives early, so opponents may reach the same structure from a different move order.
Move Order & Transpositions
Known as the Philidor Counterattack branch inside the Bishop's Opening family.
This named entry appears early, so many practical games continue by transposition after the listed move order.
This page combines catalog reference data with ChessRef study notes rather than a fully expanded guide.
How to Prepare
Memorize the first 4 ply and the first branching decision, not just the catalog name.
Review the related openings and transpositions so alternate move orders do not hide the same structure from you.
Collect a few of your own games in the line and annotate the middlegame plans before adding more theory.
It stops fitting if you want White to force the game immediately instead of building the edge step by step.
See This In Your Games
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