Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...d6/3. d4/3...Nd7

Reasoning that opening the position (3...exd4) is likely to benefit White as the side with more development, Black hopes to keep the position closed until they can catch up in development. 3...Nd7 develops a piece and defends e5. Though it controls fewer squares than it would on f6, on d7 the knight is safe from being kicked by d5 or pinned by Bb5.

Now if 4. dxe5!?, Black can recapture by either 4...Nxe5 or 4...dxe5 (as the placement of the knight on d7 prevents 5. Qxd8+).

White's options are to choose which piece to develop, or take more of the centre.

The main move is 4. Bc4. White develops a piece and prepares to castle. From c4, the bishop pressures Black's weak f7 pawn. This reinvigorates the threat of dxe5 tactically. For instance, if 4...Be7 5. dxe5 then 5...dxe5 loses to 6. Qd5!, forming a battery and threatening mate on f7. If 5...Nxe5 instead, then 6. Nxe5 dxe5 7. Qh5 threatens mate on f7 and wins the e5 pawn. 7...g6 8. Qxe5 (winning pawn and threatening the rook) Nf6 9. Bh7 and Black's position is abysmal.

Black can try 4...exd4, allowing the position to open up after all, although they must still be careful of tactics involving the weak f7 square and White's powerful bishop. The mainline is 4...c6, in order to control the d5 square and so prevent White's queen from coming there.

4. Nc3 is less sharp and affords Black more time to develop. After 4...Ngf6 this is known as the Lion variation.

Alternatively, White can take the opportunity afforded by Black's passive play to seize more space with 4. c4, and develop their knight behind the pawn line. After 4...Ngf6 5. Nf3, this transposes into an Old Indian defence, a position more usually seen after 1. d4: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 4. e4 e5 5. Nf3.

It is named after American chess player James Hanham (1840―1923), who played it eleven times in the 6th American Chess Congress, 1889.^[1]

An earlier outing for 3...Nd7 was in the 1868 British Chess Association Congress, where John Lord played it twice.^[2][3]

For explanation of theory tables, see theory table and for notation, see algebraic notation.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7

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Wikipedia has related information at Philidor Defence

• Kasparov, Garry, & Keene, Raymond 1989 Batsford chess openings 2. ISBN 0-8050-3409-9.

• Schiller, Eric (2002). Standard Chess Openings. ISBN 1-58042-048-6.

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• ChessBase (2023). Philidor Defence.
• Chess Openings for Beginners (2009). Philidor Defense: General Information.
• ChessPathways (2019). PHILIDOR DEFENSE.
• ChessPathways (2019). The Philidor Defense.
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• HangingPawns (2019). Introduction to the Philidor Defense.
• Hrishi Chavan (2022). Philidor Defence - Hanham Variation.
• Marsh, Sean (ChessAble) (2021). Chess Opening Basics: The Philidor Defense.
• Miodrag Perunovic (2019). Chess For Beginners: Anand & Topalov easily get an edge vs Philidor Hanham variation.
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• Solomon, Ruddell (TheChessGiant) (2021). Chess Openings: Learn to Play the Philidor Defense!.
• The Chess Website (2012). Philidor Defense - Chess Openings.