Winawer
French Defence · C18 · you play Black. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+
About the Winawer
The Winawer, 3...Bb4, is the sharpest French. Black doubles White's c-pawns with ...Bxc3 and plays against them with ...c5, ...Qa5 and ...Ne7. White gets the bishop pair and often attacks g7 with Qg4. The positions are unbalanced and full of fight.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5: that is the start of the Winawer, a C18 line of the French Defence for Black. There are 5 lines of this opening to train. Go through the Winawer one move at a time, and when you know it, try to play the whole line without help. Below the board you find middlegame plans for the Winawer, common endgames and games by strong players, so you know what to do once the theory ends. Use it to build your set of defences against 1.e4 and 1.d4, and test what you remember with speed training or the random-position drill.