French Defense: Tarrasch Variation
ECO C03-C09intermediate
With 3.Nd2 White develops the knight where it cannot be pinned by ...Bb4 and keeps the c-pawn free to support d4. The Tarrasch trades a little ambition for a lot of solidity: against 3...Nf6 4.e5 White gets a favorable space-edge structure, while the liberating 3...c5 leads to isolated-queen-pawn positions after exd5 that are a cornerstone of classical chess understanding. Karpov used the White side as a positional squeeze for years.
Main line
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2 cxd4
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.
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 | 271 | 37.6% | 8.5% | 53.9% | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 |
| 600-800 | 3,678 | 48% | 3.8% | 48.2% | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 |
| 800-1000 | 196 | 51% | 3.6% | 45.4% | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 |
| 1000-1200 | 64 | 60.9% | 1.6% | 37.5% | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 |
| 1200-1400 | 52 | 50% | 1.9% | 48.1% | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 |
Most played continuations (600-800 rating)
After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5:
- exd5 — played 29% of the time (White wins 49.3%, draws 3.8%, Black wins 46.8%)
- e5 — played 27.9% of the time (White wins 51%, draws 3%, Black wins 46%)
- Nc3 — played 20% of the time (White wins 49.2%, draws 4.3%, Black wins 46.4%)
Related openings
Frequently asked questions
Why play 3.Nd2 instead of 3.Nc3?
To avoid the Winawer entirely — ...Bb4 now achieves nothing since c3 remains available. The cost is the knight temporarily blocks the c1 bishop, which is why Black's most direct equalizing try is the immediate 3...c5 strike.
What kind of game should Black expect against the Tarrasch?
After 3...c5 4.exd5 exd5, Black gets free piece play with an isolated d-pawn — active middlegame, slightly worse endgame. After 3...Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7, it is a classic French chain battle where Black hits d4 with ...c5 and ...Qb6 while White attacks with f4-f5.
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