Download PGN of March ’24 French games
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Winawer Main with 6...Nc6 7 Qg4 g6 [C18]
3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e5 c5 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 Nc6:
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I keep returning to this line, which seems to be performing well and arguably offers Black the best chances apart from the main lines with 6...Ne7. French players looking to avoid the main Poisoned Pawn lines might want to look here.
After 7 Qg4 g6, 8 Nf3 has traditionally been the main move, but in recent years 8 h4 and 8 a4 have become equally or more important.
Popov, K - Ponkratov, P, Ershovo 2024, saw the former move, which Black answered with 8...h6:
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After 9 a4 (we’ve seen 9 h5 g5) 9...Bd7 10 Nf3 Qa5 11 Bd2 c4, we’ve transposed to a main line. White tried something new, but the game quickly reverted to normal themes.
In Pijpers, A - Bellahcene, B, Baden Baden 2024, White played the other popular move 8 a4 and following 8...Qa5 9 Bd2 c4 10 h4 h6, we had a position similar to the previous game except for the important difference that White put his knight on e2 with 11 Ne2:
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White can now play for Qf3,g4,h5, and after ...g5, Qg3 followed by f4. This probably not yield an advantage against good defense, but it is a concrete plan, something White often lacks in this line.
Classical 4 Bg5 Be7 5 e5 Nfd7 6 Bxe7 Qxe7 7 f4 a6 8 Nf3 c5 [C14]
Over the years, after 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bg5, I’ve spent more time on 4...dxe4 than 4...Be7. The latter move is still played on all levels, of course, and after 5 e5 Nfd7, I’ve also devoted a disproportionate amount of analysis to 6 h4, to the neglect of 6 Bxe7 Qxe7 7 f4. I’ll try to correct that as we go forward, beginning with a few games played over the last two months. One of the main line is 7...a6 8 Nf3 c5 9 dxc5 (9 Qd2 Nc6 10 dxc5 often transposes) 9...Nc6. Then Rakhmangulova, A - Cori, D, FIDE Online Arena 2024, saw the immediate 10 Bd3:
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Black has a choice between 10..Nxc5 and 10...Qxc5 in such positions, and practice tends to divide fairly equally between the two. After the latter move, the game saw a frequent inaccuracy with 11 Qe2?, but Black missed 11...Qb4! (it was a Blitz game) and the game continued along normal lines. In the notes I discuss the main move 11 Qd2.
Perez Ponsa, F - Duda, J, Titled Tue Feb 6 2024 saw the main move 10 Qd2, and after 10...Nxc5, White tried the unusual but logical 11 Qe3:
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This delays committing White’s bishop or king and improves the queen’s position. Black shouldn’t have any major problems, but the play is complex and interesting.
In Iermito, S - Zhukov, D Barcelona 2024, White followed 10 Qd2 Nxc5 with 11 Bd3:
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11...b5 12 0-0 b4 13 Ne2 a5 followed, with a standard French trade-off of strength on the wings. Black looks okay in these lines.
Classical with 4 Bg5 dxe4 5 Nxe4 Nbd7 6 Nf3 h6 7 Bxf6 Nxf6 8 Bd3 [C11]
After 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bg5, Black is frequently turning to 4...dxe4 5 Nxe4 Nbd7 6 Nf3 h6 (as contrasted with the previously most popular 6...Be7, which is of course also being played). Aroshidze, L - Gonzalez Garcia, J, Barcelona 2024, continued 7 Bxf6 Nxf6 8 Bd3 Nxe4 9 Bxe4 c5 10 Qe2 Qa5+ 11 c3:
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This position has proven reliable over many games for Black, although he needs to know what he’s doing.
Instead of 8...Nxe4, Black played 8...Be7 9 Qe2 Nxe4 10 Bxe4 in Jovanovic, Zo - Zysk, R, Bundesliga Viernheim 2024:
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Here Black finally got 10...c5 in, but after 11 0-0-0, White’s position was superior to the one above, where the addition of ...Qa5 and c3 helps Black. Nevertheless, Black’s position is solid and White will have to play well to maintain the advantage.
Classical with 4 Bg5 dxe4 5 Nxe4 Nbd7 6 Nf3 h6 7 Nxf6+ Nxf6 8 Be3 [C11]
The main line is undoubtedly 7 Nxf6+ Nxf6, and here White has played several moves (see the Archives), but 8 Be3 is perhaps the best positionally-founded:
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Maurizzi, M - Divya, D, Djerba 2024, went 8...Bd6 9 Bd3 Bd7 (9...0-0 is arguably best; see the notes) 10 Qe2 Nd5, and Black is close tgo equality but 11 Bd2 would have kept some edge.
Steinitz Variation 4 e5, 7 Be3 Be7 8 Qd2 0-0 9 dxc5 Qa5 [C11]
Since the Steinitz Variation 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 f4 c5 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 Be3 has become a sort of ‘main line’ of the French Defense, at least at the top levels, it’s worth examining a currently critical and unresolved line. After 7...Be7 8 Qd2 0-0 9 dxc5 Qa5, Black seems to equalize in some very complex lines after 10 0-0-0 (see the Archives), so White has often been turning to 10 a3:
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So, W - Velikanov, A, Titled Tue 6th Feb 2024 looks at 10...Nc5 (with an extensive note on the important 10...Bxc5). White bypassed the main lines 11 0-0-0 and 11 Be2 by playing the rare but logical move 11 Nd4 , when 11...Qc7 12 b4 led to a difficult strategic battle with equal chances.
Till next month, John
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