The French is a complex opening and can lead to a wide variety of middlegames. The Winawer after 3...Bb4 is Black’s most proactive option, immediately weakening White’s pawn structure by doubling their c-pawns.
While Black gets to play against the weak square d4, White often gets attacking chances on the kingside and a space advantage. Structurally, this line can lead to closed positions after ...c4, or open and dynamic play by white’s structural exchange dxc5. “My game selection is aimed at explaining the most important plans of these strategically complex positions.” (Author GM Ivan Sokolov)
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.
=> More products: Winawer Variation