Winawer Variation

Black has a very important alternative to the move 3...Nf6, namely 3...Bb4, known as the Winawer Variation. Aaron Nimzowitsch (1886–1935) elaborated 3...Bb4 into an opening system in the 1920s. Mikhail Botvinnik (1911– 1995) employed it in 1954/57 in his WCh matches against Vassily Smyslov. But the most faithful fan of this system has been the German grandmaster Wolfgang Uhlmann, who plays practically nothing else with the black pieces. And in addition the system has become almost a German speciality, since 3...Bb4 is extremely popular with grandmasters Stefan Kindermann, Gerald Hertneck, Thomas Luther and Rainer Knaak.