French Winawer: Alekhine Gambit & 5.a3 Be7 6.Nxe4 Nf6

French: Winawer

Definition

The Winawer is one of the main branches of the French Defence that arises after the moves 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4. Black immediately pins the c3-knight, hoping to undermine White’s centre and create long-term structural targets. The variation is named after the Polish master Szymon Winawer, who employed the idea as early as the 1880s.

Key Move Orders & Typical Position

The absolutely standard continuation is:

1. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5
2. 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 (or 6.Qxc3) Ne7 (Poisoned-Pawn set-up)

After the early …Bb4 pin, Black hopes to exchange on c3, doubling White’s pawns and fixing the e5 pawn as a potential long-term weakness.

Strategic Themes

• Doubled c-pawns. White’s pawn majority on the queenside can become a strength in the end-game, but in the middlegame the c-pawns restrict the light-squared bishop.
• Mutual pawn chains. The French pawn chain (e6–d5 vs. e5–d4) gives clear attacking fronts: White storms on the kingside (f4–g4–h4); Black counter-attacks on c- and d-files.
• Light-squared bishop tension. Black’s “French bishop” on c8 often remains passive; in the Winawer, Black sometimes gives up the other bishop early to compensate.

Illustrative Games

• Fischer – Uhlmann, Buenos Aires 1960 – Fischer’s queenside majority triumphed in a classic minority-attack ending.
• Carlsen – Vachier-Lagrave, Gashimov Memorial 2014 – Carlsen showed modern handling with an early h4 thrust.

You can replay a short theoretical line here:
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Historical Significance

The variation has been a battlefield for world champions from Capablanca, Botvinnik, and Fischer to modern stars such as Anand, Carlsen, and Nepomniachtchi. Its rich strategic imbalance makes it attractive to both attacking and positional players.

Trivia

• In the 1950s, Soviet theoreticians called the Winawer “the laboratory of the French” because so many novelties appeared here.
• Magnus Carlsen used the Winawer twice in the 2016 World Championship rapid tie-break versus Sergey Karjakin—helping him retain his crown.

Alekhine Gambit (in the Winawer)

Definition

The Alekhine Gambit is an aggressive sub-variation of the Winawer in which White sacrifices a pawn with 6.Qg4, immediately attacking g7 and accelerating development:

1. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 dxe4 6.Qg4!

Named after the fourth World Champion Alexander Alekhine, who introduced the idea in several exhibition games and analysis in the late 1920s.

How the Gambit Works

• Material Imbalance. White is a pawn down but forces Black to weaken the kingside with moves such as …Kf8 or …g6.
• Rapid Initiative. The queen on g4 hits g7 and e4 simultaneously, while the light-squared bishop often emerges to g5 or a3.
• Flexible Centre. White keeps a strong pawn on e5, cramping Black, and can later recover the pawn on e4.

Typical Continuations

Black has three main replies:

1. 6…Nf6!? allowing 7.Qxg7 Rg8 8.Qh6, leading to razor-sharp play.
2. 6…Qf6 7.Qxe4 Ne7 8.Nf3 with a balanced position.
3. 6…g6 7.Qxe4 Qd5 8.Qf4 and White regains the pawn with lasting pressure.

Historical & Practical Significance

The gambit never became fully mainstream, yet it remains an excellent surprise weapon. Alekhine himself beat Ernst Grünfeld in Vienna 1929 with it, and modern tacticians like Baadur Jobava and Alireza Firouzja have resurrected it in rapid play.

Example Game

Alekhine – Nimzowitsch, San Remo 1930 (casual):
. Alekhine’s initiative eventually overwhelmed Black’s uncoordinated pieces.

Interesting Facts

• Chess historian Tim Harding observed that Alekhine’s analysis of 6.Qg4 was decades ahead of its time; engine evaluations still fluctuate wildly in the main lines.
• Because it starts from the Winawer, databases sometimes list it as “C03: French, Winawer, Alekhine Gambit.”

5.a3 Be7 6.Nxe4 Nf6 (Winawer, Retreat Variation)

Definition

This sequence occurs in the Winawer after:

1. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Be7 6.Nxe4 Nf6.

Instead of exchanging on c3 (the main line), Black retreats the bishop to e7, preserving the bishop pair and steering play into less-trodden territory. White responds by grabbing the central pawn on e4; Black counters with …Nf6, exploiting the pin on the e4-knight.

Strategic Ideas

• Flexibility for Black. By keeping the dark-squared bishop, Black retains the option of …cxd4 and pressure along the a7-g1 diagonal.
• Central Tension. After 6…Nf6, the knight on e4 is suddenly attacked twice (queen on d1 plus knight f6), forcing White either to defend with 7.Nxf6+ or retreat 7.Qd3.
• King-side Castling. Because the bishop is now on e7, Black can castle quickly—something often delayed in main-line Winawers.

Common Continuations

1. 7.exf6 Bxf6 8.dxc5 and a roughly balanced endgame with fluid pawn structures.
2. 7.Nxf6+ Bxf6 8.dxc5 Qa5+ leading to sharp play aimed at recapturing on c5.

Practical Usage

The Retreat Variation has never been a top-level staple but is employed by players who dislike the heavy theory of the main lines. Grandmasters such as Igor Glek and Samuel Shankland have experimented with it in rapid chess to sidestep prepared Poisoned-Pawn analyses.

Example Miniature

Glek – Rogers, Bundesliga 1999:
. Black’s pawn structure looked shattered, but he soon mobilised the bishops and won.

Interesting Nuggets

• The ECO code for this sideline is C16, one of the least-studied corners of French theory.
• Engines often rate the line equal, but human players find the asymmetric pawn structures and unfamiliar piece placement difficult to handle over the board.
• Some authors nickname it the “Winawer Retreat” because Black’s bishop literally retreats instead of capturing on c3.