C10 French Defense: Paulsen Variation
C10 holds ten named lines, all under the name French Defense. It leaves C00 (French Defense) with 3.Nc3. Lines of ten other codes continue from its position, the second-widest spread of the 19 French Defense codes. Lines filed under C12 reach one of its named positions by a different move order.
| # | White | Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | e4 | e6 |
| 2 | d4 | d5 |
| 3 | Nc3 |
The move that completes C10
The reference line of C11 plays all of these moves and continues beyond them; C10 is the position reached at 3.Nc3.
- 3.Nc3 The knight leaves b1 for c3, opening a line for the rook on a1, guarding the pawn on e4.
Lines filed under C10
All ten share the start 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 and then split two ways at White’s move 3.
| Name | After the shared start | Plies | At the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| French Defense: Paulsen Variation | 3.Nc3 | 5 | |
| French Defense: Hecht-Reefschläger Variation | 3.Nc3 Nc6 | 6 | |
| French Defense: Marshall Gambit | 3.Nc3 c5 | 6 | |
| French Defense: Rubinstein Variation | 3.Nc3 dxe4 | 6 | Black +1 |
| French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Blackburne Defense | 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 | 8 | |
| French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Ellis Gambit | 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 e5 | 8 | |
| French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Maric Variation | 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Qd5 | 8 | |
| French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Fort Knox Variation | 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7 5.Nf3 Bc6 | 10 | |
| French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Capablanca Line | 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.Ne5 | 13 | |
| French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Kasparov Attack | 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.c3 | 13 |
The road to C10
- 1.e4 … 1...e6two earlier stops: B00, C00
- 2.d4C00 Normal Variation
- 2...d5C00 French Defense
- 3.Nc3C10
The position after 3.Nc3
White has brought out the knight on c3; Black has not yet moved a knight or bishop. Black could capture with dxe4. Black is to move and has 34 legal moves.
Codes that branch off from C10
The reference lines of two other codes leave C10 from the position after 3.Nc3, each with its own moves.
| Code | Moves | Reference line |
|---|---|---|
| C11 | 3...Nf6 | French Defense: Classical Variation |
| C15 | 3...Bb4 | French Defense: Winawer Variation |
Closest boards in other codes
| Code | Line | Differs on |
|---|---|---|
| C03 | French Defense: Tarrasch Variation | two squares: d2, c3 |
| B15 | Caro-Kann Defense | four squares: c6, e6, c7, e7 |
| C01 | French Defense: Exchange Variation | four squares: b1, c3, e4, d5 |
| C02 | French Defense: Advance Variation | four squares: b1, c3, e4, e5 |
| C05 | French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Closed Variation | four squares: d2, c3, f6, g8 |
| C07 | French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Open System | four squares: d2, c3, c5, c7 |
| C12 | French Defense, Classical, 4. Bg5 | four squares: c1, g5, f6, g8 |
Where lines continue from here
Besides the codes above, they belong to C01, C12, C13, C14, C16, C17, C18, C19.
Other move orders
- French Defense: Paulsen Variation is also reached inside C12 French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Duras Variation, whose order is 1.e4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4.