ecocodes
Volume C · Open games and the French Defense‹ C17C19 ›
a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8
Reference position · Black to move

C18 French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation

C18 holds 16 named lines, all under the name French Defense. It leaves C17, a position of the same name, with 5...Bxc3+ 6.bxc3. Its deepest line, French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation, Main Line, runs to 10.Ne2, the third-longest of the 19 French Defense codes. Material is no longer level at the end of three of its lines; the widest gap, one pawn in White’s favour, comes in French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation. With 16 named lines it is the third-largest code of the 19 French Defense codes.

Score sheet
#WhiteBlack
1e4e6
2d4d5
3Nc3Bb4
4e5c5
5a3Bxc3+
6bxc3

The move that completes C18

The reference line of C19 plays all of these moves and continues beyond them; C18 is the position reached at 6.bxc3.

  1. 6.bxc3 The b-pawn takes the bishop on c3, covering b4 and d4, opening a line for the bishop on c1.

Lines filed under C18

All 16 share their first 11 plies, the whole reference line and then split three ways at Black’s move 6.

NameAfter the shared startPliesAt the end
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation(the shared start itself)11
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation6...Ne712
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Classical Variation6...Qc712
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Portisch-Hook Variation6...Qa512
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation, with Bd36...Ne7 7.Bd313
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation, with h46...Ne7 7.h413
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation, with Bd36...Ne7 7.Bd3 Qc714
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation, with h46...Ne7 7.h4 Qc714
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Eingorn Variation6...Ne7 7.Qg4 Kf814
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation6...Ne7 7.Qg4 Qc714
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Warsaw Variation6...Ne7 7.Qg4 O-O14Black castled
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation6...Ne7 7.Qg4 cxd4 8.Qxg715
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation Declined6...Ne7 7.Qg4 Qc7 8.Bd315
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation6...Ne7 7.Qg4 cxd4 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 Nbc618White +1
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation, Main Line6...Ne7 7.Qg4 Qc7 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 cxd4 10.Ne219White +1
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation, Paoli Variation6...Ne7 7.Qg4 Qc7 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 cxd4 10.Kd119White +1

The road to C18

  1. 1.e4 … 4.e5seven earlier stops: B00, C00, C10, C15, C16
  2. 4...c5C17 Advance Variation
  3. 5.a3C17 Advance Variation
  4. 6.bxc3C18

The position after 6.bxc3

White has a half-open b-file. Black could capture with cxd4. Black is to move and has 31 legal moves.

WhiteBlackMaterial (pawn units)3636Minor pieces developed00Moves spent on pawns53Pawns on d4, e4, d5, e521Squares attacked in the other half95Doubled pawns10not castlednot castled

Codes that branch off from C18

The reference lines of one other code leave C18 from the position after 6...Ne7, each with its own moves.

CodeMovesReference line
C197.Nf3French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation

Closest boards in other codes

CodeLineDiffers on
C16French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variationseven squares: a2, b2, a3, c3, b4, c5, c7
C02French Defense: Advance Variationeight squares: b1, a2, b2, a3, c3, c5, c7, f8
C07French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Open Systemeight squares: a2, b2, d2, a3, c3, e4, e5, f8
C08French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Open Systemeight squares: a2, b2, d2, a3, c3, e5, e6, f8
E25Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variationeight squares: c2, e2, f2, f3, d5, e5, f6, g8
E26Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variationeight squares: c2, e3, c4, d5, e5, f6, d7, g8
C10French Defense: Paulsen Variationnine squares: a2, b2, a3, c3, e4, c5, e5, c7 …

Where lines continue from here

Twelve named lines filed under other codes pass through the position after 6.bxc3. All of them belong to the codes listed above.

Volume C

  1. 00
  2. 01
  3. 02
  4. 03
  5. 04
  6. 05
  7. 06
  8. 07
  9. 08
  10. 09
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. 85
  87. 86
  88. 87
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  90. 89
  91. 90
  92. 91
  93. 92
  94. 93
  95. 94
  96. 95
  97. 96
  98. 97
  99. 98
  100. 99

Other move orders

  • French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation is also reached inside C19 French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation, Smyslov Variation, whose order is 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Ne7 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5.

Open this line in the finderAll French Defense codes