French Tarrasch Open: 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Ngf3 cxd4 6.Bc4 Qd6

French Defence: Tarrasch Variation

Definition

The Tarrasch Variation of the French Defence begins with the moves
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2.
Named after the German grand-master Siegbert Tarrasch, the move 3.Nd2 (instead of the more common 3.Nc3) supports the pawn on e4 while avoiding the pin …Bb4 seen in the Winawer Variation.

How It Is Used

Players choose 3.Nd2 for several practical reasons:

• Flexibility: The knight on d2 can later head for f3 or b3, depending on how the centre evolves.
• Avoiding heavy theory: White steers the game away from sharp Winawer lines that arise after 3.Nc3.
• Supporting e4: The move indirectly prepares e4–e5 in many branches, clamping down on Black’s typical …f6 break.

Strategic Significance

The variation often features an isolated or hanging pawn pair on d4 – c3 for White or on d5 – c5 for Black, leading to rich middlegame play. Key strategic themes include:

• Minor-piece activity vs. structural defects
• Using the e5 square as an outpost
• Dynamic counterplay for Black along the c-file after …c5

Illustrative Game

Kasparov – Short, Linares 1993, is a classic example in which White exploited a space advantage and the e5 square to generate kingside pressure.

Interesting Facts

• Tarrasch himself used 3.Nd2 on occasion, but the line was truly popularised by players such as Paul Keres and later Anatoly Karpov.
• The modern engine era confirms the variation’s soundness; many correspondence and engine games still feature it at the highest level.

French Defence: Tarrasch Variation, Open System

Definition

The term Open System refers to the continuation
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5
4. exd5.
By capturing on d5, White opens the centre immediately, in contrast to the Closed System (4.Ngf3 or 4.c3) where central tension is maintained.

Typical Usage

• Early liquidation: White eliminates Black’s d-pawn at once, hoping to exploit a lead in development.
• Targeting an IQP: After Black recaptures, an isolated pawn often appears on d4 for White or on d5 for Black, shaping the strategic battle.
• Piece activity over structure: Both sides usually accept structural concessions to seize the initiative.

Strategic Ideas

1. White aims for rapid development with Bf1–b5+ or Bc4, quick castling, and pressure on the half-open e-file.
2. Black counters by deploying the queen actively (…Qxd5), hitting the g2 pawn, and striking back in the centre with …Nf6 and …Nc6.
3. Endgames with an IQP can favour the side with the more active pieces, so time is of the essence.

Example Position

After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Ngf3 Nc6, an IQP on d4 arises. Both players fight over the d4 and e5 squares.

Historical & Modern Relevance

The Open System was especially fashionable during the 1970s and 1980s—favoured by Karpov, Timman, and Ljubojević. In recent years, Fabiano Caruana and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave have revisited the line, armed with engine-backed novelties.

Curiosities

• The ECO codes C03–C05 are devoted largely to this system.
• Because the centre opens so quickly, the Tarrasch Open often produces decisive results—draws are statistically rarer than in most French lines .

French Defence: Tarrasch, Open, 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Ngf3 cxd4 6.Bc4 Qd6

Definition

This concrete main line of the Open System continues:

1. e4 e6
2. d4 d5
3. Nd2 c5
4. exd5 Qxd5
5. Ngf3 cxd4
6. Bc4 Qd6

Black’s queen lands on d6 (instead of the more classical 6…Qd8 or 6…Qa5), simultaneously eyeing the g3 and e5 squares, sheltering the d4-pawn from immediate recapture, and preparing speedy kingside development.

Strategic Themes

• Queen placement: …Qd6 secures the queen in the centre while clearing d5 for a knight and supporting …e6-e5 breaks.
• Isolated pawn play: After 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Nb3 Nf6, Black accepts an IQP on d4 but hopes that piece activity will offset the structural blemish.
• Two-bishops vs. structure: White’s light-squared bishop on c4 can become a powerful attacking piece, especially if Black castles kingside.

Typical Continuations

The most frequently seen follow-ups are:

• 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Nb3 Nf6 9.Qe2 Be7 10.Rd1 0-0 – positions from which both sides can aim for opposite-wing attacks.
• 7.Qe2 Nc6 8.0-0 Nf6 9.Nb3 Be7 10.Rd1 – often transposing to the above line.

Model Game

Karpov – Timman, Hilversum 1990, showcases Black’s resilient defence and eventual conversion of the IQP into dynamic counterplay.

Practical Tips

• White should not rush to recapture on d4; maintaining the pawn on d4 can give Black targets later.
• Black players must watch out for Bf4 ideas, pinning the queen to the d-file rook.

Interesting Nuggets

• The once-trendy 6…Qd6 setup went out of fashion in the 2000s but has been revived by computer engines, which show it to be fully playable.
• Magnus Carlsen employed the line in a rapid game against Aronian (Stavanger 2020), choosing an early …Nc6 and scoring a quick win.