The Petroff
A Detailed Account of the Solid Opening Favoured by Vladimir Kramnik and Other Super-Grandmasters
The Petroff has for a long time been regarded as a very solid defence. Black avoids the perils of the Scotch, the Italian Game and above all the dreaded Ruy Lopez, and instead opts to neutralize White's initiative with active piece-play. In the Petroff, it is quite common for Black to launch an early counterattack, often gambiting a pawn to do so. For many years, the Petroff enjoyed a steady following, with Karpov, Ivanchuk, Timman, Anand and in particular Yusupov among its supporters at the top level.
A Detailed Account of the Solid Opening Favoured by Vladimir Kramnik and Other Super-Grandmasters