French Winawer Advance 4...Ne7 5.a3
French: Winawer Variation
Definition
The Winawer is a major branch of the French Defence that begins with the moves 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4. Black immediately pins the knight on c3, creating tension between rapid piece play and a damaged queenside structure after …Bxc3 and …c5. The line is named after the 19th-century Polish master Szymon Winawer, who employed the idea against the strongest contemporaries of his day.
Typical Uses in Play
- Black chooses the Winawer to fight for the initiative rather than settle for the more solid but cramped Classical (3…Nf6) or Rubinstein (3…dxe4) systems.
- White must decide how to handle the pin. The two main branches arise after 4. e5 (Advance) and 4. exd5 (Exchange), with 4. a3 being the sharpest, forcing 4…Bxc3+ 5. bxc3.
- Typical black plans revolve around …c5, …Ne7, …b6, and eventually trading the “bad” c8-bishop for White’s dark-squared bishop, while White often pushes f4–f5 to generate a kingside attack.
Strategic Significance
- Imbalanced Pawn Structure: After 4. a3 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3, White receives doubled c-pawns and the “Prisoners on c2 & c3”. In return White gains the bishop pair and a semi-open b-file.
- Color-Complex Battle: Black targets the light squares (d4, e5) while White exploits the dark squares (g7, h6).
- Timing of …c5: Whether Black plays …c5 immediately or prepares it with …Ne7 and …b6 is a key decision that shapes the middlegame plan.
Historical & Modern Relevance
The variation dazzled in the 1958 World Championship match (Botvinnik–Smyslov) and remains fashionable today. Grandmasters such as Alexander Morozevich, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Alireza Firouzja have all used the Winawer to play for a win with Black.
Illustrative Example
Botvinnik – Smyslov, World Championship (Game 17), Moscow 1958:
Smyslov’s energetic …f7–f5 and …Rf8–f7 show Black’s willingness to weaken kingside pawns to seize the initiative, a typical Winawer theme.
Interesting Facts
- The original “Winawer” move 3…Bb4 shocked contemporaries because developing the queen’s bishop before playing …c5 broke classical French taboos.
- Garry Kasparov briefly revived the poisoned-pawn line (7…Qb6) in the 1990s, dubbing it “the Hydra” because of the many tactical heads White must chop off.
French: Advance Variation
Definition
The Advance Variation of the French Defence arises after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5. White closes the center immediately with the e-pawn, grabbing space and restricting Black’s c8-bishop, while accepting the long-term task of defending the d4 pawn chain.
Typical Uses in Play
- Favored by players who like a long-term space advantage and clear attacking plans on the kingside (f4–g4–h4).
- Black counters by undermining the base of the chain with …c5 and/or …f6, or by rerouting the king’s knight to f5 via …Ne7–g6–f5.
Strategic Significance
- Space vs. Breaks: White’s space edge is meaningful only if Black’s counterplay is slowed. Each pawn break matters: …c5 strikes d4; …f6 challenges e5.
- Piece Placement: White’s light-squared bishop is often sad on c1, so plans involving Be3, Qd2, and long castling are common to activate it.
- Locked Center: Because the center is fixed, flank operations—Black’s …c5 on the queenside and White’s h-pawn thrust on the kingside—become thematic.
Historic Moments
- Steinitz – Chigorin, Havana 1889: One of the earliest model games, illustrating the kingside attack plan h4–h5.
- Carlsen – Anand, World Championship 2013 (Game 5): Carlsen used a modern 6. a3/7. b4 idea to clamp down on Black’s queenside play and won a clean strategic game.
Illustrative Example
A main-line position after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6:
- White threatens to push d4–dxc5 if Black is careless.
- Black piles pressure on d4 and b2 while keeping …f6 in reserve.
Interesting Facts
- The Advance was once considered slightly inferior until Soviet theoreticians (notably Mikhail Botvinnik) re-evaluated it in the 1940s.
- Bobby Fischer used 3. e5 only once in a serious game—but he won (Fischer – Tigran Petrosian, Buenos Aires 1960).
4…Ne7 5.a3 in the French Advance
Definition
The sequence 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Ne7 5. a3 is a modern sub-line of the Advance Variation. Black’s fourth move, …Ne7, avoids the well-trodden 4…Nc6 and prepares …Nf5 or …cxd4 with flexible piece placement. White replies 5. a3 to stop …Bb4 pinning the c3 pawn, and to prepare a quick b2-b4 expansion on the queenside.
Strategic Ideas
- Black:
- Jump the knight via g6–f5 to attack d4 and h4.
- Maintain the option of the pawn break …f6.
- Keep the c-file tension: …cxd4 can be played when it helps win the d4 pawn.
- White:
- Stop the annoying pin …Bb4.
- Prepare b4–b5, gaining space on the queenside, or reinforce the center with Bd3 and 0-0.
- Sometimes follows up with the Milner-Barry Gambit style (cxd4, Nc3) sacrificing a pawn for activity.
Theoretical Status
The line is considered fully playable for both sides. Engines show near equality but with rich, unbalanced play—an excellent practical choice.
Model Game
Short – Korchnoi, Tilburg 1991:
Korchnoi’s choice of …Ne7 demonstrated its flexibility; he rerouted the piece to c6 later, showing that the knight’s journey is limited only by the position’s demands.
Interesting Nuggets
- The move 4…Ne7 was popularised by Viktor Korchnoi in the late 1980s as he searched for fresh winning chances with Black.
- Magnus Carlsen adopted the setup in rapid & blitz play, scoring over 70% with it between 2015-2020 .
- 5. a3 is sometimes called the “flexi-pawn” because it provides both prophylaxis (stopping …Bb4) and a springboard for queenside expansion.