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French Winawer: Poisoned Pawn Variation

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 · C18

Part of French Defense: Winawer Variation

Starting positionWhite to move

0 / 20

Pawns in exchange for time and central pressure

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The idea

White takes the g7 and h7 pawns with the queen and walks a tightrope for the next thirty moves — one of the sharpest theoretical positions in all of chess.

Main line: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 Qc7 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 cxd4 10.Ne2 Nbc6

What White wants

  • Keep the queen safe while completing development
  • Contest the centre with Ne2, Bd3 and a timely c4
  • Defend c2 and coordinate the pieces before opening more lines

What Black wants

  • Open the queenside completely with ...cxd4 and ...Nbc6
  • Bring every piece to the attack while White's queen is offside
  • Play for mate — the pawns are irrelevant if the attack lands

Key idea

Understand this and the moves stop needing to be memorised.

Pawns in exchange for time and central pressure

White's queen takes g7 and h7 while Black opens the centre with ...cxd4. The queen is far from the queenside fight, but the extra pawns are real. Black must turn the lead in development and pressure on c2 into concrete threats.

Common mistake

Treating the two captured pawns as a reason to exchange everything immediately. White must first solve development and the pressure on c2; an automatic queen retreat or unsupported central break can leave Black's active pieces with decisive targets.

Representative position

The position this opening is aiming at. Copy the FEN, or open it in the analysis board and let the engine tell you what it is worth.

r1b1k1r1/ppq1np1Q/2n1p3/3pP3/3p4/P1P5/2P1NPPP/R1B1KB1R w KQq - 2 11

Analyze this position

Related openings

French Defense: Winawer Variation1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 · C15–C19Black pins the knight on c3 and hands over the bishop pair for doubled white c-pawns and a permanent attack on the queenside — the most double-edged French.French Defense1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 · C00–C19Black challenges e4 with ...d5 on move two, accepting a slightly cramped position behind a solid pawn chain in exchange for a genuine fight for the centre.French Defense: Classical Variation1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 · C11–C14White pins the f6 knight with Bg5, then advances e5. In this main line, Bxe7 exchanges the dark-squared bishops before both sides prepare their pawn-chain plans.Sicilian Najdorf: Poisoned Pawn Variation1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 · B97Black grabs the b2 pawn with the queen and wanders around the white position for several moves while White builds a huge attack — the sharpest line in modern chess.