Download PGN of December ’25 French games
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Advance 5...Qb6 6 Be2 Nge7 7 Na3 cxd4 8 cxd4 Nf5 9 Nc2 Bd7 [C02]
In Henriquez Villagra, C - Agibileg, U, FIDE World Cup Goa 2025, 3 e5 c5 4 c3 Nc6 5 Nf3 Qb6 6 Be2 Nge7 7 Na3 cxd4 8 cxd4 Nf5 9 Nc2 Bd7 10 0-0 was played, transposing into hundreds of games which have usually begun with 5...Nge7. Here Black chose 10...Rc8 (one of several popular moves).
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There followed 11 Kh1 (I give a quick look at 10 Bd3 and 10 h4) 11...Na5 with the idea ...Bb5 and Black had a playable game with many options for both sides. The position after 10 0-0 has become one of the most important in the Advance Variation.
Advance 5...Bd7 6 Be2 f6 7 0-0 fxe5 8 Nxe5 [C02]
Instead of 5...Qb6, an increasingly popular line that we have looked often is 5...Bd7 6 Be2 f6 7 0-0 fxe5 8 Nxe5 Nxe5 9 dxe5 Qc7, when the main line has been 10 Re1 0-0-0 11 Bf1:
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Ahmadzada, A - Ganguly, S, FIDE World Cup Goa 2025 continued with 11...Ne7 12 a4 Nf5, and White tried the rare move 13 Bd3, leading to a complicated strategic game. I also analyse recent games with the normal move 13 Na3 in the notes.
Instead of 10 Re1, 10 Bf4 Ne7 11 Nd2 was played in Adams, M - Lodici, L, FIDE World Cup Goa 2025.
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After 11...0-0-0!? 12 b4!, Black should have played 12...c4 or 12...Kb8. The greedy 12...Ng6 13 Bg3 Nxe5? should have given White too much activity, although in the game Black managed to sacrifice a piece for a pawn mass and won.
Instead of 8...Nxe5, Black played the unusual 8...cxd4 9 cxd4 Bd6 in Grandelius, N - Bacrot, E, FIDE World Cup Goa 2025:
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This is playable. White’s best try for advantage is 10 Nxc6! Bxc6 11 Nd2 Nf6 12 Bh5+! g6 13 Be2 0-0 14 Nf3 and White has a limited edge. This arguably deserves more tests.
Steinitz 2 Nc3 d5 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 d4 c5 6 Ne2 [C11]
The order 1e4 e6 2 Nc3 d5 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 d4 c5 traditionally leads to 6 dxc5 Nc6 7 Bf4 (see the Archives), but recently the move 6 Ne2 has become popular:
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Black can play 6...Nc6 now, transposing after 7 c3 to a currently popular Steinitz Variation. I give developments in that position with some in-depth analysis in a note. In the game Rapport, R - Tondivar, B, European Club Cup Rhodes 2025, Black played the immediate 6...cxd4 7 Nexd4 Qb6 (again 7...Nc6 is normal, and I analyze a top-level game with it). White responded by 8 Bb5, leading to complex play. I also cover 8 Rb1 by transposition. In general, complications can arise rather suddenly in these lines, and accurate play should lead to equality.
Rubinstein Variation 4...Nd7 [C10]
After 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 (or 3 Nd2 dxe4 4 Nxe4), the Rubinstein Variation 4...Nd7 has always had a following, and in the past few years it has been played more than ever, notably by a few elite players and quite a few strong professionals.
Rubinstein 5 Ngf3 Ngf6 6 Nxf6+ Nxf6 7 Be3 [C10]
A main line goes 5 Ngf3 Ngf6 6 Nxf6+ Nxf6 7 Be3:
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White’s last move has had considerable success. A battle between leading players, Wei Yi - Li Chao, Shenzhen 2025, continued 7...Bd7!? (I give a lengthy note on the normal 7...Bd6) 8 Bd3, and here Black played 8...Bc6, which led to a very interesting game. I have previously recommended 8...Nd5 9 Bd2 c5, which seems to lead to equal play if Black knows what to do.
Rubinstein 5 Ngf3 Ngf6 6 Nxf6+ Nxf6 7 Bd3 c5 8 Be3 Qc7 [C10]
Another Wei Yi game from the World Cup went 7 Bd3 c5 8 Be3 Qc7 9 Qe2 a6 . A well-known position. In Wei Yi - Esipenko, A FIDE World Cup Goa 2025, instead of the double-edged 10 0-0-0 (for which I give a typical game in the notes), White chose 10 h4:
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10...Nd5!? (10....Bd7 is a known and sound option) 11 0-0-0 Be7, and here 12 Ng5! Would have retained some edge in a messy position.
Instead of 9 Qe2, White in Van Riemsdijk, H - Jaderberg, B, World Senior 65+ Gallipoli 2025 played 9 0-0:
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This allows 9...c4! 10 Be2 Bd6 with equality. Black preferred 9...Bd6, when White should play 10 Qe2 with a small edge, but didn’t. An interesting double-edged middlegame resulted in which White missed a win and ultimately lost.
Rubinstein 5 Ngf3 Ngf6 6 Nxf6+ Nxf6 7 c3 c5 [C10]
7 c3 looks slow but creates certain problems because after the natural 7..c5, White has ideas of Ne5 and Bb5+ or Qa4+.
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In Ivic, V - Martinez Alcantara, J, FIDE World Cup Goa 2025, White played 8 Bb5+ (I analyse the more dangerous 8 Ne5 in the notes) 8...Bd7 9 Bxd7+ Qxd7 (9...Nd7 is also okay) 10 Ne5 Qb5. This position hasn’t been tested very often; the game and notes show that Black’s position is fully equal, but no more.
Rubinstein 5 Ngf3 Ngf6 6 Bd3 [C10]
Rozentalis, E - Csiki, E, GM-B Budapest 2025 saw 6 Bd3, which is fairly popular but rather easy to play against. There followed 6...Nxe4 7 Bxe4 Nf6 8 Bg5 c5 9 0-0 cxd4 10 Nxd4 Be7:
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This 3:2 queenside majority versus 4:3 kingside majority structure arises in many openings. In the French, Black tends to be fully equal.
Rubinstein 5 Ngf3 Ngf6 6 Bg5 [C10]
White seldom plays 6 Bg5 Be7 (but 6 Nxf6+ Nxf6 7 Bg5 Be7 can transpose):
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Vasquez Schroeder, R - Nakhapetiane, P, Titled Tuesday October 28th 2025,, continued 7 Nxf6+ Nxf6 (7...Bxf6! exploits White’s move order) 8 Bd3 c5 9 dxc5 Qa5+ 10 c3 Qxc5 with a very small White edge, but an interesting position with chances. White played well against a couple of inaccuracies and won a convincing game.
Winawer Poisoned Pawn Mainline 13 h4 0-0-0 [C18]
White isn’t playing into the old Qg4/Qxg7 lines much these days, because Black has established reliable drawing lines which neither side has been able to successfully dodge, as confirmed by incredibly in-depth engine analysis. A lower-level game from a couple of months ago is instructive. In Pacheco Gutierrez, J - Soler Gonzalez, J, Bucamaranga 2025, follows the old main line 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e5 c5 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 Ne7 7 Qg4 Qc7 8 Qxg7 Rg8 9 Qh6 cxd4 10 Ne2 Nbc6 11 f4 Bd7 12 Qd3 dxc3 13 h4 0-0-0 14 h5 d4 15 h6 (a position that can arise via various orders):
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Here Black tried to revive the relatively rare move 15...Qb6!?, when 16 h7 Rh8 17 g4 Kb8 18 Bg2 gave White a small theoretical edge. In short order, Black made an inferior move, and White not only missed a clever winning continuation, but blundered and lost. In the notes, I show a recent example with the well-established 15...Rg6.
Till next month, John
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