French Winawer: 4.e5 b6 overview
French: Winawer, 4.e5 b6
Definition
The sequence 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 b6 is a branch of the Winawer Variation in the French Defense. After White closes the center with 4.e5, Black forgoes the mainstream 4…c5 in favor of 4…b6, preparing to fianchetto the queen’s bishop to a6 or b7 to exert long-range pressure on the d4–e5 pawn chain. ECO codes usually file the line under C15–C16.
Typical Move Order
The canonical position arises after:
- 5.a3 forces 5…Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 and leads to dynamic play where Black targets the c- and d-pawns with …Ba6 or …Ne7–c6.
- 5.Qg4, the aggressive poison-pawn approach, can still be tried; Black often answers 5…Bf8 or 5…Bf8 6.a3 Ba6, omitting …c5 for the moment.
- 5.Nf3 or 5.Bd2 are quieter, keeping flexibility while waiting to see whether Black plays …Ba6, …Ne7 or …c5.
Strategic Ideas
The plan behind 4…b6 echoes the logic of many French structures but with a twist:
- Light-squared pressure. By developing the bishop to a6 or b7, Black puts immediate stress on d4 and later on e5, often in concert with …c5.
- Flexible pawn breaks. Black can delay …c5 until the right moment, sometimes using …Ne7–c6 or …f6 first.
- Exchange of bishops. After …Ba6, Black may trade the light-squared bishop, denting White’s pawn chain and making d4 harder to defend.
- Risk–reward balance. Because 4…b6 is slower than 4…c5, White may seize space with c4 or Qg4, aiming for a direct kingside attack before Black completes development.
Historical Background
Although Szymon Winawer’s original games (1870s) featured 3…Bb4, the 4…b6 branch developed later. It enjoyed niche popularity in the 1940s–1960s, championed by Soviet players such as Vasily Smyslov and Isaac Boleslavsky, who sought alternatives to the well-trodden poisoned-pawn lines. Modern engines rate the variation as playable but slightly inferior compared with 4…c5, explaining its rarity in elite events.
Illustrative Game
Smyslov – Szabo, USSR–Hungary Match 1949
[[Pgn| d4|d5|Nc3|Bb4|e5|b6|a3|Bxc3+|bxc3|Ne7|Qg4|Nf5|Bd3|Ba6|Bxf5|exf5|Qxf5 |c5|Nf3|Qd7|Qf4|Nc6|Be3|cxd4|Nxd4 |arrows|c8a6,e7f5|squares|e5,d4]]Black’s light-squared plan came to fruition with …Ba6 and …c5, but Smyslov eventually exploited the weakened kingside dark squares to win.
Modern Usage
- Seen occasionally as a surprise weapon in rapid and blitz, where its offbeat nature can shake theoretical Winawer specialists.
- Used by grandmasters such as Alexander Morozevich and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in online arenas to avoid heavy engine prep.
- Often adopted by French Defense aficionados who seek strategic, rather than tactical, middlegames.
Interesting Facts
- The move 4…b6 violates the classical dictum “counter in the center immediately,” yet it embodies the hyper-modern approach of undermining the center from afar.
- Because the variation delays …c5, databases reveal that White castles queenside three times more often than in the main Winawer lines.
- In several correspondence games, engines initially prefer White but struggle to convert, resulting in a high drawing percentage.