Chess opening · ECO C41
Philidor Defense: Hanham Variation
After 3.d4, the Hanham Variation backs up e5 with 3...Nd7 instead of trading it off. Black is building a fortress: knights on d7 and f6, a bishop on e7, the king tucked away on g8 and a pawn on c6. White has more space and wants to use it before Black finishes that setup, often by aiming the light-squared bishop at f7.
- Rank by weighted share
- #147 of 159
Key moves
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7
- 3. d4White challenges e5 straight away. Black can trade the pawn, which leads to the Exchange Variation, or keep it on e5 by adding a defender, as the Hanham does.
- 3... Nd7With d4 and the f3 knight both hitting e5, the knight adds a second defender, so that after dxe5 dxe5 the pawn on e5 stays covered. It also blocks the c8 bishop for now, which is why Black's queenside development is slow in this line.
Move order around 4.Bc4
The usual Hanham setup includes ...Be7 and ...Ngf6, but the order matters while the bishop sits on c4. After 4.Bc4 Be7 5.dxe5 dxe5, White plays 6.Qd5. The queen and the c4 bishop line up on the same diagonal toward f7, and Qxf7 would be mate.
That is why Black often starts with 4...c6. The pawn takes d5 away from the white queen and later supports ...b5, which can chase the bishop off its diagonal.
Space for White, a closed center for Black
Once Black castles, the center usually stays locked. White plays for space with a4, sometimes Re1 and h3, and keeps the option of dxe5 to open the d-file. Black waits for the right moment to strike with ...b5 on the queenside or ...exd4 followed by piece play.
Reaching the Hanham fortress
4. Nc3 Ngf6 5. Bc4 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 c6 8. a4
Both kings are castled and Black has the full setup: knights on d7 and f6, bishop on e7, pawns on c6, d6 and e5. White's a4 stops ...b5 for now, so Black looks for play with ...Qc7, ...b6 or ...exd4.
Top replies by rating
Taking on e5 with dxe5 leads every band from 1200 to 1999. At 2000 and up Bc4 and Nc3 move ahead of it, keeping the tension in the center.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1200–1399 | dxe5 53% | d5 29% | Bc4 18% |
| 1400–1599 | dxe5 47% | d5 28% | Bc4 14% |
| 1600–1799 | dxe5 64% | Bc4 17% | d5 9% |
| 1800–1999 | dxe5 42% | Bc4 38% | Nc3 16% |
| 2000 and up | Bc4 48% | Nc3 27% | dxe5 15% |
Related openings
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