French Defence — Tarrasch
C09 · Played as white · Intermediate · French
Develop the knight to d2 and the Winawer simply never happens
The main line
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Ngf3 Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd6 7.O-O Ne7 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Nb3 Bd6
Strategic ideas
- Play Nd2 instead of Nc3 so …Bb4 never pins anything — no Winawer, ever
- Keep the queenside structure clean at the cost of one tempo
- Trade on d5 to hand Black an isolated queen's pawn to nurse
- Blockade the isolated pawn on d5 and press it in the endgame
- Reach a comfortable, low-risk position with an easy long-term plan
Key themes
- Positional — White plays for a structural target — the isolated d-pawn — rather than an attack
- Solid — No doubled pawns, no weaknesses, no risk; the knight on d2 keeps everything tidy
- Piece Activity — The blockade square in front of the isolated pawn is a permanent home for a white piece
Typical plans
Tarrasch's solution to the French is beautifully simple: develop the knight to d2 rather than c3, and the whole Winawer disappears because …Bb4 no longer pins anything. The price is one tempo and a slightly passive knight; the reward is a clean structure and a clear plan. After the trades on d5 and c5, Black is usually left with an isolated queen's pawn — White blockades it, trades pieces, and grinds. Karpov played this for years, which tells you everything about how much risk it involves.
Move by move
- e4 — White claims the centre.
- e6 — Black plays the French, preparing …d5.
- d4 — White builds the ideal centre.
- d5 — Black strikes at e4.
- Nd2 — White defends e4 with the knight on d2 rather than c3. It's passive, and it means …Bb4 will never pin anything — the entire Winawer is off the board.
- c5 — Black hits d4, the most active reply.
- exd5 — White resolves the centre, opening the position.
- exd5 — Black recaptures with the pawn, accepting a future isolated d-pawn in exchange for free piece play.
- Ngf3 — White develops and adds pressure to d4 and c5.
- Nc6 — Black develops and defends c5.
- Bb5 — White pins the knight, adding pressure to the c6-defender.
- Bd6 — Black develops actively, defending c5 and eyeing h2.
- O-O — White castles, connecting the rooks.
- Ne7 — Black develops the knight to e7 rather than f6, keeping it out of the pin's line and eyeing f5 and g6.
- dxc5 — White takes, forcing Black to accept the isolated d-pawn permanently.
- Bxc5 — Black recaptures with the bishop, keeping the piece active.
- Nb3 — White reroutes the passive d2-knight toward the queenside — it heads for d4, the blockade square in front of Black's isolated pawn.
- Bd6 — Black retreats the bishop out of the knight's way, keeping it on the b8–h2 diagonal. Black has the isolated pawn and the freer pieces; White has the structure and the long game. Karpov would take White here every time.