French Defense: Winawer Variation
ECO C15-C19intermediate
The Winawer, 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4, is the French at its most combative. Black pins the knight, forces structural concessions with ...Bxc3 after 4.e5 c5, and accepts a long-term battle of imbalances: White gets the bishop pair, doubled c-pawns and attacking chances on the dark squares Black's exchanged bishop left behind; Black gets the superior pawn structure and play against c2 and d4. Botvinnik built a career on it, and it remains the sharpest mainline French.
Main line
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.Bd2 Ne7 6.Nb5 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 O-O
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 | 47 | 36.2% | 6.4% | 57.4% | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 |
| 600-800 | 83 | 50.6% | 13.3% | 36.1% | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 |
| 800-1000 | 69 | 29% | 4.3% | 66.7% | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 |
| 1000-1200 | 76 | 59.2% | 0% | 40.8% | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 |
| 1200-1400 | 27 | 59.3% | 0% | 40.7% | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.Bd2 |
Most played continuations (600-800 rating)
After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4:
- Bd2 — played 28.9% of the time (White wins 33.3%, draws 12.5%, Black wins 54.2%)
- a3 — played 19.3% of the time (White wins 50%, draws 12.5%, Black wins 37.5%)
- exd5 — played 18.1% of the time (White wins 53.3%, draws 6.7%, Black wins 40%)
Related openings
Frequently asked questions
Is the Winawer risky for Black?
It is double-edged by design — giving up the dark-squared bishop means White's Qg4 attacks against g7 must be taken seriously, especially in the Poisoned Pawn lines (7.Qg4 Qc7 8.Qxg7). But the structural compensation is permanent, and theory confirms Black's resources hold in every critical line.
What should White play against the Winawer?
5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 followed by the dual plans of Qg4 against the kingside or a4 and Ba3 activating the bishops. Quieter options like 4.exd5 or 4.Ne2 avoid the main fight but concede easy equality — the mainline structures are where White's chances live.
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