French Defense: Tarrasch Closed Main Line Leningrad
French Defense
Definition
The French Defense is the opening that begins with the moves 1. e4 e6. Black immediately prepares …d5 to challenge White’s center and creates a solid but somewhat cramped position. It belongs to the family of semi-closed openings and is catalogued as C00–C19 in the ECO (Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings).
Strategic Ideas
- Counter-attack the center: After 2.d4 d5, Black confronts the pawn on e4 and strives for breaks such as …c5 or …f6.
- Imbalanced pawn chains: When White plays e5 (the Advance Variation), the pawn chain points toward Black’s queenside, giving Black typical breaks with …c5 and …f6, while White plays for space on the kingside.
- Bad bishop dilemma: Black’s light-squared bishop on c8 is often hemmed in by the pawn chain e6–d5, creating long-term strategic tension.
Main Branches
- Advance Variation: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5.
- Exchange Variation: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5, leading to symmetrical structures.
- Tarrasch Variation: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 (see below).
- Classical (3.Nc3): allowing the Winawer (…Bb4), Classical (…Nf6), or Rubinstein (…dxe4) systems.
Historical Notes
The opening was first mentioned in 1834 when the Paris Chess Club’s strongest players favored it—hence “French.” It has been a mainstay for champions like Botvinnik, Korchnoi, Kamsky, and, in modern times, Alireza Firouzja.
Illustrative Mini-Game
One of the shortest wins with the French came in Réti – Tartakower, Vienna 1910:
Tarrasch
Definition
“Tarrasch” in opening names honors the German grandmaster Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch (1862–1934), a leading theoretician. Two main openings bear his name:
- Tarrasch Defense (Queen’s Gambit): 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5.
- Tarrasch Variation of the French Defense: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2.
Usage & Strategic Themes
Both Tarrasch systems aim for activity at the cost of structural concessions.
- In the French: 3.Nd2 avoids 3.Nc3 Bb4 (Winawer) and prepares c3 or exd5. Black often answers with 3…c5 (Open System) or 3…Nf6 (Guimard).
- In the QGD: …c5 offers piece play but leaves Black with an isolated queen’s pawn after 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.g3.
Historical Significance
Tarrasch championed “active piece play over pawn purity.” His ideas influenced later hyper-moderns such as Alekhine and Nimzowitsch, even though they often disagreed with him vocally at cafés in Vienna and Munich.
Notable Example
Kasparov – Short, Linares 1993 saw the French Tarrasch with 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Ngf3 Nc6 6.Be2, a modern main line, demonstrating how even world champions employ Tarrasch ideas to sidestep the razor-sharp Winawer.
Closed (as a Chess Term)
Definition
A closed position is one in which the pawn structure locks the center, limiting immediate pawn breaks and open files. Knight maneuvering and long-term strategizing dominate over direct tactics.
Features of Closed Positions
- Pawns form interlocking chains, often on adjacent files (e.g., White pawns on d4 e5 vs. Black pawns on d5 e6).
- Space advantage is vital because pieces have few open lines.
- Flank pawn breaks (c or f-pawns) are typical plans to undermine the center.
Examples
The King’s Indian Defense after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.d5 exemplifies a classic closed center with locked pawns on d4–d5 and e4–e5.
Interesting Fact
In his “Handbook of Chess” (1847), Howard Staunton already used the term “closed game,” making it one of the oldest positional classifications.
Main Line
Definition
The main line of an opening is the sequence of moves considered by consensus to give both sides the best or most critical play. It is sometimes called the “tabiya”—an Arabic term chess historians borrow for the standard reference position after an opening.
How It Is Used
- Annotators write “in the main line Black usually plays 10…c5” to contrast with sideline ideas.
- Databases mark main lines by popularity and engine evaluations.
- Players learn openings hierarchically: first the main line, then sidelines and traps.
Illustration
In the Sicilian Najdorf, the main line after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 is 6.Bg5, leading to the legendary Poisoned Pawn variation. Any deviation (6.Be3, 6.f3) is deemed a “sideline” despite its topicality.
Anecdote
Former World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik reportedly told his students: “You may play sidelines, but know the main line better than your opponent, or you will forever stand worse.”
Leningrad Variation
Definition
The Leningrad Variation most commonly refers to a branch of the Dutch Defense that begins with:
1.d4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.O-O O-O 6.c4 d6.
Named after the Soviet school centered in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), this set-up blends the Dutch and King’s Indian Defense, giving Black a solid yet dynamic fianchettoed kingside.
Key Strategic Points
- King’s Indian–style pawn structure: …d6, …e5 breaks are thematic.
- Control of e4: Black often plays …Nc6 and …Qe8–h5 to exert pressure.
- Double-edged king safety: The kingside fianchetto yields dark-square weaknesses around e6 and g6.
Historical Significance
Soviet grandmasters like Spassky and Zakharov popularized the system in the 1960s. It became a favorite of elite players such as Peter Svidler—himself from Saint Petersburg—who used it successfully in multiple Candidates tournaments.
Memorable Game
Svidler – Kramnik, Russian Ch. Superfinal 2013: Kramnik uncorked a novelty in the Leningrad Dutch that neutralized Svidler’s prep and ultimately won. Engines later confirmed Black’s dynamic equality, reinforcing the line’s theoretical validity.
Fun Fact
When Karpov visited Leningrad in 1972, he jokingly called the Dutch Leningrad “the King’s Indian with a British accent,” highlighting its hybrid nature between the Dutch and KID.