Courses

Introduction

Fundamentals

5 Exercises

1
Offered center
Course preview
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5 Bxc5
1. e4
  We let White advance in the center so we can strike it later under good conditions.
2. e6
  We prepare ...d5 without exposing ourselves right away.
3. d4
  White takes the center as expected.
4. d5
  We immediately challenge the central squares.
5. e5
  White closes the center and often signals the Advance structure.
6. c5
  We must attack the base of the chain before White settles in.
7. dxc5
  White grabs a flank pawn and loosens central control.
8. Bxc5
  Remember this above all: if White gives up the center too early, we recapture the pawn with tempo.
2
Central counterblow
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfxd7 5.Nf3 c5 6.Bg5 Qb6
1. e4
  We let White advance in the center so we can strike it later under good conditions.
2. e6
  We prepare ...d5 without exposing ourselves right away.
3. d4
  White takes the center as expected.
4. d5
  We immediately challenge the central squares.
5. Nc3
  White supports e4 and keeps several aggressive plans available.
6. Nf6
  We attack e4 without wasting time.
7. e5
  White gains space and drives our knight away.
8. Nfxd7
  The retreat is normal: the knight keeps the ...c5 break in mind.
9. Nf3
  White continues developing while protecting e5.
10. c5
  Now we need to break the d4-e5 chain.
11. Bg5
  The pin aims to interfere with our natural play.
12. Qb6
  In this structure, the key idea is simple: we target d4 again and again.
3
Quiet knight
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bb4 6.Bd2 O-O
1. e4
  We let White advance in the center so we can strike it later under good conditions.
2. e6
  We prepare ...d5 without exposing ourselves right away.
3. d4
  White takes the center as expected.
4. d5
  We immediately challenge the central squares.
5. exd5
  White exchanges early to get a calmer position.
6. exd5
  We recapture firmly and keep a healthy center.
7. Nc3
  The knight wants to put quick pressure on d5 and e4.
8. Nf6
  We develop naturally while holding the central squares.
9. Nf3
  White completes development without creating a concrete problem.
10. Bb4
  The pin creates a little immediate discomfort and develops a useful piece.
11. Bd2
  White breaks the pin but loses a tempo.
12. O-O
  In the Exchange Variation, simple and clean moves are very often enough.
4
Simple development
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Bd6
1. e4
  We let White advance in the center so we can strike it later under good conditions.
2. e6
  We prepare ...d5 without exposing ourselves right away.
3. d4
  White takes the center as expected.
4. d5
  We immediately challenge the central squares.
5. exd5
  White exchanges early to get a calmer position.
6. exd5
  We recapture firmly and keep a healthy center.
7. Bd3
  The bishop quickly aims at the kingside and prepares castling.
8. Nc6
  We develop with potential pressure on d4.
9. c3
  White wants to hold the center and limit our activity.
10. Bd6
  When White plays calmly, we answer with equally restrained and useful development.
5
Tempo on the bishop
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Bd3 dxe4 4.Bxe4 Nf6 5.Bf3 c5 6.Ne2 Be7
1. e4
  We let White advance in the center so we can strike it later under good conditions.
2. e6
  We prepare ...d5 without exposing ourselves right away.
3. d4
  White takes the center as expected.
4. d5
  We immediately challenge the central squares.
5. Bd3
  This early development aims to avoid some more theoretical structures.
6. dxe4
  We capture in the center and force the bishop to lose a tempo.
7. Bxe4
  White recaptures, but the piece remains exposed.
8. Nf6
  We attack the bishop while developing naturally.
9. Bf3
  White retreats again and the plan is already losing momentum.
10. c5
  We return to the French Defense’s main theme: breaking White’s center.
11. Ne2
  White tries to reorganize cleanly.
12. Be7
  The key idea is to punish the bishop that came out too early without forcing anything.

Advance

6 Exercises

1
Theft on b2
1.e5 c5 2.c3 Qb6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Be2 cxd4 5.cxd4 Ngxe7 6.O-O Nf5 7.Be3 Qxb2
1. e5
  White locks the center to gain space.
2. c5
  We must attack its base before it is fully secured.
3. c3
  White supports d4, but the c1-bishop remains locked in.
4. Qb6
  We add direct pressure on d4 and b2.
5. Nf3
  White develops while keeping the center.
6. Nc6
  We increase the pressure without conceding anything.
7. Be2
  White prepares castling and avoids some tactics on b4.
8. cxd4
  We clarify the center to create a real target.
9. cxd4
  The d4-pawn remains, but it becomes more fragile.
10. Ngxe7
  The knight heads for f5, an ideal square in this structure.
11. O-O
  White gets the king to safety.
12. Nf5
  At last we threaten d4 concretely.
13. Be3
  White saves d4, but becomes exposed elsewhere.
14. Qxb2
  Remember this pattern: when d4 holds, b2 can become the real target.
2
Calculated grab
1.e5 c5 2.c3 Qb6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bd3 cxd4 5.cxd4 Bd7 6.O-O Nxd4 7.Nxd4 Qxd4
1. e5
  White locks the center to gain space.
2. c5
  We must attack its base before it is fully secured.
3. c3
  White supports d4, but the c1-bishop remains locked in.
4. Qb6
  We add direct pressure on d4 and b2.
5. Nf3
  White develops while keeping the center.
6. Nc6
  We increase the pressure without conceding anything.
7. Bd3
  The bishop protects e4 and sometimes supports active kingside play.
8. cxd4
  We remove a central support before it becomes too strong.
9. cxd4
  White keeps the space, but the tension has shifted sides.
10. Bd7
  This move removes annoying checks on b5 before capturing in the center.
11. O-O
  White castles and hopes to stabilize.
12. Nxd4
  We finally pick off the pawn at the right moment.
13. Nxd4
  White must recapture to avoid being left without compensation.
14. Qxd4
  Here, we do not capture too early: we prepare the capture so it is clean.
3
Queenside bind
1.e5 c5 2.c3 Qb6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.a3 c4 5.Nbxd2 Na5 6.Be2 Bd7
1. e5
  White locks the center to gain space.
2. c5
  We must attack its base before it is fully secured.
3. c3
  White supports d4, but the c1-bishop remains locked in.
4. Qb6
  We add direct pressure on d4 and b2.
5. Nf3
  White develops while keeping the center.
6. Nc6
  We increase the pressure without conceding anything.
7. a3
  White prepares b4 and wants to control the queenside squares.
8. c4
  We close the queenside to play on the fixed squares.
9. Nbxd2
  White wants to challenge b3 and c4.
10. Na5
  The knight aims at b3 and already puts pressure on that whole wing.
11. Be2
  White finishes development but remains cramped.
12. Bd7
  When the queenside closes, fixed squares become more important than pawns.
4
Unpinning
1.e5 c5 2.Nf3 cxd4 3.Nxd4 Ne7 4.Nc3 Nbxc6 5.Bb5 Bd7
1. e5
  White locks the center to gain space.
2. c5
  We must attack its base before it is fully secured.
3. Nf3
  White develops before clarifying.
4. cxd4
  We open the game while the white king is still in the center.
5. Nxd4
  White keeps an active piece and protects e5.
6. Ne7
  The knight goes around the e5-pawn blockade.
7. Nc3
  White develops logically and sometimes prepares Bb5.
8. Nbxc6
  We bring a second piece into the central fight.
9. Bb5
  The pin aims to disturb our coordination.
10. Bd7
  When White pins on b5, the right reflex is often to unpin calmly.
5
Central majority
1.e5 c5 2.Nf3 cxd4 3.Nxd4 Ne7 4.Nc3 Nbxc6 5.Nxc6 Nxc6
1. e5
  White locks the center to gain space.
2. c5
  We must attack its base before it is fully secured.
3. Nf3
  White develops before clarifying.
4. cxd4
  We open the game while the white king is still in the center.
5. Nxd4
  White keeps an active piece and protects e5.
6. Ne7
  The knight goes around the e5-pawn blockade.
7. Nc3
  White develops logically and sometimes prepares Bb5.
8. Nbxc6
  We bring a second piece into the central fight.
9. Nxc6
  White exchanges to reduce this pressure.
10. Nxc6
  In this line, Black’s structure speaks for itself: more center, fewer worries.
6
Tempo on the queen
1.e5 c5 2.Nf3 cxd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Bb5 Ne7
1. e5
  White locks the center to gain space.
2. c5
  We must attack its base before it is fully secured.
3. Nf3
  White develops before clarifying.
4. cxd4
  We open the game while the white king is still in the center.
5. Qxd4
  The queen comes out too early and becomes a target.
6. Nc6
  We gain time on it while developing a useful piece.
7. Bb5
  White looks for a pin to justify the early queen move.
8. Ne7
  As soon as the white queen comes out too early, we play with tempo without complicating matters.

Tarrasch

5 Exercises

1
Central explosion
1.Nc3 Nf6 2.e5 Nfxd7 3.f4 c5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Be3 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Bc5 7.Qd2 O-O
1. Nc3
  The Tarrasch avoids some pins, but not the central fight.
2. Nf6
  We immediately strike the base of White’s center.
3. e5
  White supports d4, at the cost of a still-passive c1-bishop.
4. Nfxd7
  We remove a support to create a real target.
5. f4
  White recaptures and keeps a broad center.
6. c5
  We destroy this center before it turns to White’s advantage.
7. Nf3
  The knight returns to the center with activity.
8. Nc6
  The check develops and disrupts White’s coordination.
9. Be3
  White covers the bishop and wants to finish development.
10. cxd4
  The d4-pawn falls because its defense no longer holds.
11. Nxd4
  White looks for a counter-tempo.
12. Bc5
  In the Tarrasch, if d4 falls cleanly, you should take it without hesitation.
13. Qd2
  White coordinates to castle or defend c3.
14. O-O
  Here, every black move serves the same goal: methodically undermine White’s center.
2
Long diagonal
1.Nc3 Nf6 2.Bg5 Bb4 3.e5 h6 4.exf6 hxg5 5.fxg7 Rg8 6.Qh5 Qf6
1. Nc3
  The Tarrasch avoids some pins, but not the central fight.
2. Nf6
  We immediately strike the base of White’s center.
3. Bg5
  White supports d4, at the cost of a still-passive c1-bishop.
4. Bb4
  We remove a support to create a real target.
5. e5
  White recaptures and keeps a broad center.
6. h6
  We destroy this center before it turns to White’s advantage.
7. exf6
  The knight returns to the center with activity.
8. hxg5
  The check develops and disrupts White’s coordination.
9. fxg7
  White prefers a more stable square for the knight.
10. Rg8
  We bring out a useful piece while keeping e4 under control.
11. Qh5
  White prepares castling and natural development.
12. Qf6
  We get the king to safety before opening the game further.
3
Face-off
1.Nc3 Nf6 2.Bg5 Bb4 3.e5 h6 4.Bd2 Bxc3 5.bxc3 Ne4 6.Bd3 Nxd2 7.Qxd2 c5
1. Nc3
  The Tarrasch avoids some pins, but not the central fight.
2. Nf6
  We immediately strike the base of White’s center.
3. Bg5
  White develops without clarifying the center yet.
4. Bb4
  We open the game right away.
5. e5
  The knight takes a good central square.
6. h6
  We challenge it immediately while gaining useful time.
7. Bd2
  The pin aims to bother our knight.
8. Bxc3
  Against the pin on b5, we force nothing: we stay flexible and clean.
9. bxc3
  White keeps the bishop pair but weakens the structure.
10. Ne4
  The knight settles on a strong square and disrupts White’s whole camp.
11. Bd3
  White wants to trade off this active piece.
12. Nxd2
  We eliminate a good bishop before striking the center.
13. Qxd2
  The queen recaptures and maintains the center.
14. c5
  The right order matters: first we weaken it, then we break it.
4
Active recapture
1.Nc3 Nf6 2.Bg5 Bb4 3.e5 h6 4.Bd2 Bxc3 5.bxc3 Ne4 6.Qg4 g6 7.Bd3 Nxd2
1. Nc3
  The Tarrasch avoids some pins, but not the central fight.
2. Nf6
  We immediately strike the base of White’s center.
3. Bg5
  White exchanges to calm the game down.
4. Bb4
  The queen recaptures, gaining useful activity.
5. e5
  White grabs a flank pawn and hopes to slow our initiative.
6. h6
  When the queen can recapture without risk, this version of the Tarrasch is very comfortable.
7. Bd2
  White retreats to keep the structure intact.
8. Bxc3
  We remove an important defender of White’s center.
9. bxc3
  White keeps the bishop pair but weakens the structure.
10. Ne4
  The knight settles on a strong square and disrupts White’s whole camp.
11. Qg4
  The queen targets g7 and dreams of a poorly protected black king.
12. g6
  We close the diagonal and cut the attack short.
13. Bd3
  White insists on exchanging our central knight.
14. Nxd2
  In this version, the white king often ends up more exposed than ours.
5
Queen retreat
1.Nc3 Nf6 2.Bg5 Bb4 3.e5 h6 4.Bh4 g5
1. Nc3
  The Tarrasch avoids some pins, but not the central fight.
2. Nf6
  We immediately strike the base of White’s center.
3. Bg5
  White exchanges to calm the game down.
4. Bb4
  The queen recaptures, gaining useful activity.
5. e5
  White develops with the idea of chasing the queen later.
6. h6
  We open the game before White is ready.
7. Bh4
  The bishop attacks our queen and appears to gain a tempo.
8. g5
  The retreat is simple and keeps Black’s position fully cohesive.

Tarrasch

5 Exercises

1
Central explosion
1.Nd2 c5 2.c3 cxd4 3.cxd4 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Qxd4 6.Qa4+ Nc6
1. Nd2
  The Tarrasch avoids some pins, but not the central fight.
2. c5
  We immediately strike the base of White’s center.
3. c3
  White supports d4, at the cost of a still-passive c1-bishop.
4. cxd4
  We remove a support to create a real target.
5. cxd4
  White recaptures and keeps a broad center.
6. dxe4
  We destroy this center before it turns to White’s advantage.
7. Nxe4
  The knight returns to the center with activity.
8. Bb4+
  The check develops and disrupts White’s coordination.
9. Bd2
  White covers the bishop and wants to finish development.
10. Qxd4
  The d4-pawn falls because its defense no longer holds.
11. Qa4+
  White looks for a counter-tempo.
12. Nc6
  In the Tarrasch, if d4 falls cleanly, you should take it without hesitation.
2
Long diagonal
1.Nd2 c5 2.c3 cxd4 3.cxd4 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bb4+ 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Nf3 O-O 7.Bd3 b6
1. Nd2
  The Tarrasch avoids some pins, but not the central fight.
2. c5
  We immediately strike the base of White’s center.
3. c3
  White supports d4, at the cost of a still-passive c1-bishop.
4. cxd4
  We remove a support to create a real target.
5. cxd4
  White recaptures and keeps a broad center.
6. dxe4
  We destroy this center before it turns to White’s advantage.
7. Nxe4
  The knight returns to the center with activity.
8. Bb4+
  The check develops and disrupts White’s coordination.
9. Nc3
  White prefers a more stable square for the knight.
10. Nf6
  We bring out a useful piece while keeping e4 under control.
11. Nf3
  White prepares castling and natural development.
12. O-O
  We get the king to safety before opening the game further.
13. Bd3
  White aims at the kingside and the h7-square.
14. b6
  The plan is clear: king to safety, then the long diagonal for the bishop.
3
Face-off
1.Nd2 c5 2.Ngxf3 cxd4 3.Nxd4 Nc6 4.Bb5 Ne7
1. Nd2
  The Tarrasch avoids some pins, but not the central fight.
2. c5
  We immediately strike the base of White’s center.
3. Ngxf3
  White develops without clarifying the center yet.
4. cxd4
  We open the game right away.
5. Nxd4
  The knight takes a good central square.
6. Nc6
  We challenge it immediately while gaining useful time.
7. Bb5
  The pin aims to bother our knight.
8. Ne7
  Against the pin on b5, we force nothing: we stay flexible and clean.
4
Active recapture
1.Nd2 c5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.dxc5 Bxc5
1. Nd2
  The Tarrasch avoids some pins, but not the central fight.
2. c5
  We immediately strike the base of White’s center.
3. exd5
  White exchanges to calm the game down.
4. Qxd5
  The queen recaptures, gaining useful activity.
5. dxc5
  White grabs a flank pawn and hopes to slow our initiative.
6. Bxc5
  When the queen can recapture without risk, this version of the Tarrasch is very comfortable.
5
Queen retreat
1.Nd2 c5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Ngxf3 cxd4 4.Bc4 Qd6 5.O-O Nf6 6.Nb3 Nc6 7.Nbxd4 Nxd4
1. Nd2
  The Tarrasch avoids some pins, but not the central fight.
2. c5
  We immediately strike the base of White’s center.
3. exd5
  White exchanges to calm the game down.
4. Qxd5
  The queen recaptures, gaining useful activity.
5. Ngxf3
  White develops with the idea of chasing the queen later.
6. cxd4
  We open the game before White is ready.
7. Bc4
  The bishop attacks our queen and appears to gain a tempo.
8. Qd6
  The retreat is simple and keeps Black’s position fully cohesive.
9. O-O
  White castles to make use of the lead in development.
10. Nf6
  We complete our kingside without creating weaknesses.
11. Nb3
  White targets d4 and looks for piece play.
12. Nc6
  We add a defender and speed up development.
13. Nbxd4
  White recovers the advanced pawn.
14. Nxd4
  In this line, the right reflex is to return the pawn at the moment that simplifies everything.