French Defense: Paulsen Variation

ECO C10intermediate

The Paulsen Variation resolves the French centre immediately: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4, and the tension is gone by move four. The main line runs 4...Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6, giving Black a completely sound structure with no weaknesses and no bad bishop problem — at the cost of a small, permanent space disadvantage. It is the French for players who want solidity above all, and it is far harder to beat than its quiet reputation suggests.

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Main line

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.Bd3 c5

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

1.e4 Welcome to the game! The pawn steps boldly to e4, planting a flag right in the middle of the board. Grabbing the center early is a smart way to start, giving your other pieces space to come out and play.
1...e6 Black advances the pawn one square, controlling central space and preparing for future piece development.
2.d4 This is a strong, principled move. By advancing your d-pawn two squares, you immediately establish a powerful pawn center with e4 and d4. This is the standard and best response against Black's French Defense (1...e6), opening lines for your pieces.
2...d5 Black moves a pawn from its home square to the middle of the board. This is a strong start because it helps control the important middle squares.
3.Nc3 You moved your knight from b1 to c3. This is a great developing move, bringing your knight out to help control the middle of the board!
3...dxe4 Black's pawn slides onto e4, snapping up a pawn there. Now this little soldier sits proudly on a light square in the heart of the board. Munching a center pawn while staying in the middle is a happy result for Black.
4.Nxe4 Your knight captures a pawn on e4, moving toward the center. However, this leaves your pawn on d4 unprotected and vulnerable to capture.
4...Nd7 The knight moves from b8 to d7. This is a good start to the game because it brings your piece off the back row and into the fight. Good move!
5.Nf3 You move your knight from g1 to f3. This is a great developing move, which means you are getting a piece into the game and helping your army.
5...Ngf6 Black moves their knight from g8 to f6. This is a great developing move, bringing a piece into the game and closer to the middle of the board.
6.Nxf6+ Your knight moves from e4 to f6, capturing their knight and putting their king in check.
6...Nxf6 Black moves their knight from d7 to f6. This is a great move because it takes a white knight and also helps develop a piece toward the middle of the board!

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	42	59.5%	11.9%	28.6%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4
600-800	60	53.3%	1.7%	45%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6
800-1000	128	55.5%	3.9%	40.6%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6
1000-1200	41	56.1%	0%	43.9%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6
1200-1400	1,154	46.2%	4.1%	49.7%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6
1400-1600	2,735	46.7%	3.8%	49.4%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6
1600-1800	670	48.8%	5.5%	45.7%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6
1800-2000	1,647	48.3%	6.4%	45.4%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6
2000-2200	2,870	48.1%	7.3%	44.6%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6
2200-2400	2,163	49.1%	7.5%	43.3%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6

Most played continuations (2000-2200 rating)

After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6:

Bd3 — played 55.2% of the time (White wins 48.5%, draws 6.9%, Black wins 44.6%)
c3 — played 11.1% of the time (White wins 48.7%, draws 8.5%, Black wins 42.8%)
Bg5 — played 10% of the time (White wins 46.7%, draws 8%, Black wins 45.3%)

Related openings

Frequently asked questions

Is this the same as the Rubinstein Variation?

The names overlap in practice. 3...dxe4 against 3.Nc3 is usually called the Rubinstein, with Paulsen used for the same idea and for related C10 lines; databases and books are not consistent. What matters is the structure: Black trades on e4 early, accepts less space, and plays for a rock-solid position with an easy plan.

Does Black solve the French bad bishop problem?

Largely, yes — and that is the main appeal. In most French lines the light-squared bishop is buried behind pawns on e6 and d5. Here the d-pawn is gone, so the bishop has the c8-h3 diagonal or can develop via ...b6 and ...Bb7. The trade-off is that Black has no central pawn to fight for space with.

How does White play for an advantage?

By keeping pieces on and using the extra space: c3 and Bd3 with a kingside build-up, or Bg5 and Qe2 with queenside castling for a direct attack. The one thing White should avoid is trading into a simple endgame, where Black's flawless structure holds comfortably. Space is only an advantage while there are pieces to use it.