Hanham Variation, Krause Variation
- 1.e4e5
- 2.Nf3d6
- 3.d4Nd7
- 4.Bc4c6
- 5.O-O
558 games
Philidor Defense line in the Hanham Variation where White castles with 5. O-O after 4...c6, delaying Nc3 or c3 and keeping a slight edge.
Train it in TheoriaAbout the Krause Variation
The Krause Variation is White's castling option after 4...c6. Rather than committing with 5. Nc3 or 5. c3, White secures the king, leaves the queenside setup open, and keeps dxe5 available. Black usually continues 5...Be7, which is playable here because ...c6 already covers d5. The rarer tries are 5...h6 and 5...Qc7. Engines also favor releasing the tension with 5...exd4 and rate White slightly better, although Black scores somewhat better in online games.