Theoria
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French Defense

Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation, Main Line

C18tacticalaggressive

  1. 1.e4e6
  2. 2.d4d5
  3. 3.Nc3Bb4
  4. 4.e5c5
  5. 5.a3Bxc3+
  6. 6.bxc3Ne7
  7. 7.Qg4Qc7
  8. 8.Qxg7Rg8
  9. 9.Qxh7cxd4
  10. 10.Ne2
794 games46%45%

Main line of the Winawer Poisoned Pawn, in which 10. Ne2 shields c3 and leads to sharp, unbalanced play with roughly even practical results.

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About the Main Line

10. Ne2 is the standard answer to Black's capture on d4. The knight covers c3, and if Black grabs 10...Qxe5, then 11. cxd4 wins back the pawn with gain of time. The drawback is that the knight obstructs the f1-bishop and delays White's development. Black usually continues 10...Nbc6, and 10...dxc3 is the main alternative. The engine gives White a slight edge, but practical results are close to even.

Popular continuations