At lower levels it can be used as a regular part of a repertoire, and one that has a good chance of being reached if White opens 1.e4.
The Gwent player Joseph Turner, who has an ECF of 174, has eight Philidor Countergambits in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database in a four-year period from July 2011 to April 2015.
He scored +3=0-5 against a field with an average rating of 1985, giving him a rating performance of 1929.
His average rating during those games was 1958, so he performed 29pts below his rating (Black on average performs 35pts below, according to computer analysis by IM - now GM - Larry Kaufman).
Other names familiar from the British chess circuit who have used the Philidor Countergambit include Ronnie Burton (he drew with it against IM Andrew Ledger at Guernsey in 2000), John Naylor, Oliver Jackson, Andrew Dunn, Tim Kett and Kevin Goater.
Finally, here is one of my efforts.
Alan Marshall (136) - Spanton (161)
Middlesex League Division Two 1989
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5!? 4.dxe5 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.e6 Nh6 7.Nc3 c6 8.Qd4?
 |
| Position after 8.Qd4? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
Most popular, as we have seen, is 8.Ngxe4!?, while Stockfish10 and Komodo10 like 8.g3!? The text, which looks aggressive but is easily countered, does not appear in Mega19.
8...Qf6 9.Be3 Be7 10.Ne2
This defends the queen, so the dark-square bishop can maintain its defence of g5, but now the light-square bishop will have trouble developing.
10...0-0 11.0-0-0!?
The engines do not like this, but AM may have thought opposite-side castling gave him his best practical chance as otherwise he is likely to meekly lose the e pawn while being overrun in the centre.
11...Nf5 12.Qxf6 Bxf6 13.Nh3 Nxe3 14.fxe3 Bxe6 15.Nef4 Bg4 16.Be2 Bxe2 17.Ne2 Nd7 18.Rhf1 Be5 19.g3 Nf6 20.Nhf4 Ng4 21.Ne6?
21.Kd2 at least saves the e3 pawn.
21...Rxf1 22.Rxf1 Nxe3 23.Rf2 Re8 24.Nc5 b6 25.Nd7
Or 25.Nb3 Bxb2+!
25...Bd6 26.Nd4 Rd8 27.Ne5 Bxe5 0-1
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