Chess opening · ECO C15
French Defense: Winawer Variation
3...Bb4 is the Winawer Variation, a pin on the c3 knight that makes e4 hard to hold by normal means. Black is often ready to trade the bishop for that knight, doubling White's c-pawns. The price is the dark-squared bishop, the piece that guards g7 and the dark squares around Black's king. That trade-off gives the Winawer its unbalanced, sharp middlegames.
- Rank by weighted share
- #128 of 159
Key moves
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4
- 3... Bb4The bishop pins the c3 knight to the king on e1, so the knight no longer truly defends e4. Black now threatens ...dxe4, and White has to settle the center with e5, a trade, or a move like Bd2 that breaks the pin.
Doubled c-pawns against a weak g7
In the main line White pushes e5, Black strikes with ...c5, and a3 asks the bishop a question. After ...Bxc3+ bxc3, White has doubled c-pawns and a pawn on a3, but also two bishops and a half-open b-file. Black keeps an intact pawn chain and clear targets on the queenside.
Without the dark-squared bishop, Black's g7 pawn has lost a defender. White's queen often jumps to g4 at once to attack it, and Black must choose between guarding it and giving it up for counterplay against c3 and c2.
Moves that sidestep the main line
White does not have to allow the trade. Bd2 breaks the pin, exd5 releases the tension, and Ne2 defends c3 with a second knight. Each steers away from the doubled-pawn structure of the e5 and a3 line.
The queen goes to g4
4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4
Black has given up the bishop to double White's pawns, and White's queen now attacks g7. Black's knight on e7 heads for f5 or g6, while ...Qc7 and ...cxd4 aim at the c3 pawn and the white center.
Top replies by rating
Bd2 leads at 1200 to 1399, but from 1400 up e5 takes over and its share keeps rising. Ne2 reaches the top three only at 2000 and up.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1200 | Bd2 60% | exd5 40% | – |
| 1200–1399 | Bd2 36% | e5 29% | exd5 23% |
| 1400–1599 | e5 39% | exd5 21% | Bd2 17% |
| 1600–1799 | e5 55% | exd5 16% | a3 8% |
| 1800–1999 | e5 60% | exd5 15% | a3 9% |
| 2000 and up | e5 78% | Ne2 8% | exd5 7% |
Questions
Why give up the bishop for a knight?
The trade on c3 leaves White with doubled, slow-moving c-pawns that Black can attack, and it removes a piece that guards e4 and hits d5. Black accepts weaker dark squares near the king in return.
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.