Download PGN of March ’26 French games
>> Previous Update >>
Tarrach Variation Guimard 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 e5 Nfd7 6 c3 f6 [C04]
It’s been quite a while since I’ve addressed 3 Nd2 Nc6, the Guimard Variation. Over the past two years several enterprising authors have recommended a 3...Nc6 repertoire and it continues to appear regularly in master play. There are a number of promising variations that White can try, and several seem to lead to a small advantage, but at the moment I see none that should discourage Black altogether. One particularly challenging line that always bothered me goes 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 e5 Nfd7 6 c3. Here Black’s overwhelming choice is 6...f6:
             |
Now White has three dangerous moves. In Pranav, V - Gharibyan, M, 1st Thursday Feb 5th chess.com 2026, White played 7 exf6 Qxf6 8 Bd3 Bd6 9 0-0 0-0 with rough equality and plenty of chances. I devote a good deal of space in the notes to the alternatives 7 Nh4 and 7 Bb5, both of which require accurate treatment but appear to hold up well for Black.
Instead of 8 Bd3, 8 Bb5 is often played. In Brunello, M - Roebers, E, Frauenbundesliga 2026 (in which I also analyse 8 Be2), Black responded 8...Bd6 and is already threatening ...e5:
|
|
White has done poorly in practice from this position. 9 Nf1 is perhaps best, but Black tends to win the center and get tactical chances. 9 0-0 0-0 also leaves White with no way to prevent ...e5. In the game, she tried 9 Nb3 0-0 10 Be3 e5, but needed to simplify in the center rather than cede the bishop pair with 11 Bxc6?, after which the situation was already critical.
Tarrach Variation Guimard 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 e5 Nfd7 6 Be2 f6 [C04]
Estrada Nieto, J - Do Carmo, G, Titled Tue 24th Feb 2026, tested the old main line 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 e5 Nfd7 6 Be2 f6 7 exf6 Qxf6 8 Nf1! Bd6 9 Ne2 0-0 10 0-0 Qg6:
|
|
The game continued 11 Bd3 Qh5 12 h3, and here Black lost a key tempo with 12...Kh8?, granting White a large positional advantage (which he didn’t take). In the notes, I show how both 12...Nf6 and 12...Rxf3! equalize.
Tarrach Variation Guimard 4 c3 e5 [C04]
A tricky move which has the advantage of clarifying the central situation is 4 c3. Black can hardly avoid a passive position except by playing 4...e5, as in the vast majority of games. In this month’s examples (both Blitz games), the players hadn’t enough time to work out early tactical issues, and what should have been two miniatures result. I’ll fill in theory to show some of the most critical lines after 4 c3.
In Sydykov, B - Hakobyan, M, Titled Tue Feb 10 2026, White met 4...e5 with 5 exd5 Qxd5 6 Ngf3 exd4 7 Bc4. There followed 7...Qh5 (7...Qf5 and 7...Qd7 are important alternatives).
|
|
Here White played 8 0-0 (8 exd4 is examined in a note), and instead of the normal 8...Nf6 or 8...Be6, which we review, Black got overambitious with 8...Bg4. White exploited the inaccuracy to win in short order.
Instead of 5 exd5, White played 5 dxe5 in Vantika, A - Bressy, T, 1st Thu Jan 22 2026. After 5...dxe4 6 Qa4!? is the only ambitious try. Then Black can play for a drawish ending after 6...Qd5, but 6...e3 is more interesting:
|
|
After 7 fxe3 (7 Ne4!? is complicated and equal), Black should have played 7...Nge7=, but played inaccurately and then got lucky when White missed a win. Although time trouble ruined the play, you can see that this line is relatively harmless if the players come prepared.
Winawer Main with 6...Nc6 7 h4 h6 [C18]
After 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e5 c5 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3, 6...Nc6 continues to produce complex battles. Nepomniachtchi, I - Akobian, V, Titled Tue Feb 10 2026, saw the interesting 7 h4:
|
|
This resembles 6...Ne7 7 h4, a variation which has been played for many years by elite players and analysed in enormous depth. The 6...Nc6 7 h4 is not as thoroughly worked out, but in the game Black chose 7...h6 (7...Qa5 8 Bd2 Qa4 transposes to a well-known and terribly complex line from the 6...Qa5 Hook Variation) 8 h5 Nge7 (8...Qa5 leads to more original play), and we have returned to a main line. Nepomniachtchi continued with 9 Rh3 (9 Nf3 and 9 Qg4 are the most popular moves by far) and Akobian played the somewhat premature 9...c4?! (9...Qa5 and 9...Bd7 are better, in my opinion) 10 a4! (stopping ..Qa5-a4 and preparing Ba3). White stood clearly better, although as so often happens in Blitz, the play went back-and-forth.
Winawer Main with 6...Nc6 7 Qg4 g6 8 h4 h6 [C18]
A main line which we have looked at quite a bit continues to be critical: 7 Qg4 g6 8 h4 (ironically, the recent h4 Winawer book by Kotronias, Ivanov, and Obodchuk recommends 8 a4) 8...h6 9 h5 g5 10 f4 f5 11 Qg3 g4 12 dxc5 Qa5:
|
|
Black can bypass this position by using 8...Qa5 or later, 10...Qa5, when White in turn has new options. With the order given, Petti, L - Acosta, P, Montevideo 2026 went 13 a4 (the other preferred computer move 13 Rb1 was played in a game this month that is annotated in the notes) 13...Nge7 14 Bb5, and now 14...a6 was perhaps a little better than 14...Bd7. My impression is that Black’s position is solid enough to hold, but he is on the defensive with few realistic winning chances.
Till next month, John
>> Previous Update >>
Please post you queries on the French Forum, or subscribers can write to me at support@chesspublishing.com if you have any questions or queries.