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French Defense

Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation

C18tacticalaggressivegambit

  1. 1.e4e6
  2. 2.d4d5
  3. 3.Nc3Bb4
  4. 4.e5c5
  5. 5.a3Bxc3+
  6. 6.bxc3Ne7
  7. 7.Qg4Qc7
1,324 games46%48%

Sharp Winawer line where Black answers 7. Qg4 with 7...Qc7, giving up the kingside pawns to counterattack White's center and queenside.

Train it in Theoria

About the Poisoned Pawn Variation

With 7...Qc7 Black leaves g7 to its fate and hits c3 and e5 instead. The usual 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 cxd4 brings mutual weaknesses: White gains a passed h-pawn and kingside play, while Black breaks up the center and, with the kingside gone, typically castles long into the open b-file. Ten moves in, White chooses between 10. Ne2 (the Main Line) and 10. Kd1 (the Paoli Variation). 8. Bd3 declines the pawn. The engine gives White a slight edge.

Popular continuations

Named variations 2