Vienna Game: Philidor Countergambit – Playing as Black

Playing ...f5 is a radical bid to open lines against White's centre before White can castle. In the Vienna, White has already played Nc3, which means ...f5 strikes at the centre while also threatening the e4-pawn. If White plays passively, you can quickly generate counterplay. The engine's +1.60 evaluation, though, tells you that White has a concrete refutation — so this isn't an opening you can rely on as your main weapon. Instead, treat it as a surprise weapon or a way to steer opponents out of theory. The single most important thing to know: White's best answer is 4.exf5, and after that you need to know the follow-up.

The move Stockfish recommends is 4.exf5, with the continuation exf5 Nf6 dxe5 Nxe5. White captures your f-pawn, and after ...Nf6 defends e4, White pushes dxe5 and the knight recaptures. In this line White keeps a healthy extra pawn while your pieces are active but loose. This is the critical test of the Philidor Countergambit. If your opponent plays 4.exf5, you have to fight for compensation — your lead in development and open lines are all you have. Most club players won't find the most precise follow-ups, so even in this line you'll have practical chances.

The statistics reveal a clear pattern: the two moves you should be happiest to see are 4.Be3 and 4.Qh5+. Here's why: - 4.Be3 (144 games) is labelled a mistake worth about 1.7 pawns. White scores just 45.1% with it — that means Black actually scores better than White from that point. - 4.Qh5+ (121 games) is a blunder that loses roughly 3.1 pawns. White only scores 47.1% here. Both moves ignore the central tension and let you seize the initiative. In the drill, the engine will punish these mistakes — so you'll learn exactly how to respond to them.

Here's how White's most common moves score, from your perspective as Black: - 4.d5 (2,404 games): White scores 57.1%. This is the most popular move by far — White pushes the pawn and avoids immediate trouble. You'll need a good answer here because you're still slightly worse. - 4.dxe5 (833 games): White scores 57.4%. Capturing on e5 is also solid for White. - 4.Nf3 (730 games): White scores 55.2%. A natural developing move. - 4.exf5 (480 games): White scores 55.4%. The engine's choice, but interestingly it doesn't score as highly in practice as d5 or dxe5 — suggesting humans struggle to convert the advantage. This table tells you that White has several good options, and none of them are losing. Your task in the drill is to find the most resilient replies against each.

Memorise these two lines because they're your best chance to score a quick win: After 4.Be3: This looks natural — White develops and defends the d4-pawn. But it's a mistake. Your reply should aim to exploit the hanging centre and White's misplaced bishop. After 4.Qh5+: A blunder. White checks your king, but this queen sortie is premature and costs White roughly 3 pawns in evaluation. You'll have a clear path to a winning attack if you know the correct response. The drill will give you these exact positions to practise — the engine will play White's mistake so you can hammer it home.