Petra Wang: Level 60 Chess Rival (2130 ELO)

Rook tier · Universal Expert · plays the Italian Game

• Level: 60 of 100
• Tier: Rook
• Rating: 2130 ELO
• Opening: Italian Game
• Style: Universal Expert
• From: Mexico
• Age: 61
• Plays: Black (you have White)

How Petra plays

Petra is a universal player with 61 years of experience behind her. She can attack, defend and grind with equal skill, and she rarely shows a clear preference. In the Giuoco Piano she takes the classical path, putting the bishop on c5, keeping the centre stable with ...d6 and ...a6, and waiting to see which plan White chooses before committing to her own.

She is most dangerous in positions with many options, where her experience lets her pick the most practical one. What she finds less comfortable is a position where the plan is already decided by the structure and nothing remains but execution. That is the lever for White: choose a setup with a clear plan, follow it accurately, and let her universal skill work against a rigid structure. Petra will defend tenaciously and switch plans when needed, so expect a long game and be ready for a fight in every phase.

At 2130 ELO, Petra plays at master strength. Outright blunders are rare, so you need a sound opening, a clear plan and accurate calculation in sharp moments. A draw against her is a good result; a win means you played a very good game.

Italian Game: the line Petra plays

In the Italian Game Petra meets 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 with ...Bc5, the classical Giuoco Piano. The book continues with ...Nf6, ...d6, ...a6 and short castling: quiet, symmetrical development where both sides manoeuvre before anything breaks open.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 a6 7.Re1 O-O

• 3...Bc5: ...Bc5 mirrors White's bishop and keeps an eye on f2.
• 5...d6: ...d6 supports e5. Black is in no hurry.
• 6...a6: ...a6 gives the bishop a retreat square on a7 so it can't be hit by b4 or Na4.
• 7...O-O: Both sides have castled. The real game starts now.

Learn it move by move: Italian Game walkthrough

How to beat Petra

1. Against her ...Ne7-g6 regrouping, route a knight toward f5 via g3. A knight on f5 near her castled king forces a decision about ...Bxf5 that a flexible player would rather postpone.
2. Watch for ...Na5 hitting your Italian bishop. Retreat it to b3 or a2 early, so that her knight does not gain the bishop pair by trading on c4.
3. When she plays ...d5, be ready with exd5 and a central piece build-up. Opening the e-file with Re1 gives you the initiative before she completes her regrouping.
4. The slow Giuoco Piano rewards patience. Prepare d4 with c3, reroute the queen's knight via d2 and f1 to g3, and only open the centre once your pieces are ready. Avoid trading your light-squared bishop cheaply on f7: the cheap check rarely wins anything.
5. Their book answers 1.e4 only (with lines for the Italian, Two Knights, Spanish and Scotch). Open 1.d4 or 1.c4 and she is out of book at once.

What beating Petra teaches you

Petra's games train consistency: picking a plan from the structure and carrying it out without drifting, even against a flexible opponent.

Neighbours on the ladder

• Felix Bernard: level 59
• Pavel Ivanov: level 61