Download PGN of July ’25 French games
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Tarrasch 3...Nf6 with 5 f4 c5 6 c3 Nc6 7 Ndf3 [C05]
I haven’t touched upon 3 Nd2 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 f4 c5 6 c3 Nc6 7 Ndf3 recently. Black still plays the traditional 7...Qb6 (as well as 7...Be7), but recently 7...a5 has been seen a lot, contemplating queenside expansion with ...a4 at some point:
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In Sakmak, K - Djokic, M, EU-ch Eforie Nord 2025, White played the critical move 8 Bd3 (which is prevented by 7...Qb6) and Black played 8...Qb6 anyway, but shouldn’t have achieved quite enough compensation for his space deficit. I think 8...a4 and 8...cxd4 9 cxd4 a4 are better practical tries.
Tarrasch Variation with 4 Ngf3 cxd4 5 Nxd4 Nf6 6 e5 [C07]
It’s Carlsen’s opponent who plays with a somewhat irregular order in Sindarov, J - Carlsen, M, Titled Tue 13th May 2025, which began 1 e4 e6 2 Nf3 d5 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 d4 c5 6 Ne2 cxd4 7 Nexd4:
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A position that can also arise from the Steinitz Variation and has some move order subtleties. White managed to keep a small edge but never a dangerous one, and a fairly even game resulted until Carlsen, surprisingly, blundered and his opponent missed the chance of a lifetime and ultimately managed to blunder back.
Winawer Armenian Variation 6 dxc5 [C18]
After 4 e5 c5 5 a3, I haven’t looked at the Armenian Variation 5...Ba5 for a while, although this is still being used by some strong grandmasters. A rather rare move that hasn’t got much attention is 6 dxc5, as in Andreev, K - Aronian, L, Titled Tue 27th May chess.com 2025. There followed 6...Bxc3+ 7 bxc3:
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The game went 7...Ne7 (I examine 7...Qc7, which discourages 8 Qg4, in the notes) 8 a4 Qc7 9 Be3. Here 9...b6!? gave enough play (and in some cases compensation for a pawn), whereas the simpler 9...Nd7 10 Bd3 Nxc5 is also satisfactory. For White, the variation remains a way to stay safe while keeping play on the board.
Winawer Armenian Variation 6 b4 cxd4 7 Nb5 Bc7 8 f4 Bd7 [C18]
Much more common after 5...Ba5 is 6 b4 cxd4 7 Nb5, as we’ve seen in many Archives games. The standard answer is 7...Bc7 8 f4 Bd7, intending ...Bxb5:
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Nepomniachtchi, a French expert from the Black side, was White in two Titled Tuesday Blitz games this month. In Nepomniachtchi, I - Liu, Z, Titled Tue 10th June 2025, he followed an old main line by 9 Nxc7 Qxc7 10 Nf3 Ba4 11 Bd3. This is tricky and Black should be familiar with the themes for both sides.
In Nepomniachtchi, I - Aronian, L, Titled Tue 3rd Jun 2025, White deviated with 9 Nxd4 Ne7 10 Ngf3:
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This sort of position tends to be equal, because although White has space, Black can attack d4 and the queenside squares quickly and efficiently.
Winawer Armenian Variation 6 b4 cxd4 7 Qg4 Kf8 8 Nb5 [C18]
Arguably the main line of the Armenian was followed for 18 moves of Shogdzhiev, R - Krivenko, S, Belgrade Radnicki IM tournament 2025, which began with 5...Ba5 6 b4 cxd4 7 Qg4 Kf8 8 Nb5 Bb6 9 Nf3 Nc6 10 Bb2:
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Here Black has two main moves: 10...f6 and 10...Nge7. The latter was played in the game, leading to 11 Nbxd4 h5 12 Qf4 Ng6 13 Nxc6. I analysed this in some depth five years ago (see the Archives), but now the modern analysts Deev and Basso have worked out the variation in much greater detail with strong engines. I have only reproduced a portion of their analysis, but with best play (including a lot of forcing moves), Black retains satisfactory play.
2 b3 Fianchetto 2...d5 3 Bb2 Nf6 [C00]
The theory of the main lines of the French is a bit discouraging for White right now, and we see masters turning to slower lines like the Exchange Variation, 3 Bd3, 2 Nf3 d5 3 Nc3 and, recently, to 1 e4 e6 2 b3. Carlsen has experimented with the fianchetto a few times and perhaps following his lead, we are seeing 2 b3 more frequently. Then 3...d5 is the most common reply (see the Archives and the note to the following game), but Black has also played the solid and logical 3...Nf6:
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In Livaic, L - Fromm, M, Pasching Rapids 2025, there followed 4 e5 Nfd7 5 Qg4!? , creating an imbalance at the cost of ceding Black central pressure via 5...c5 6 f4 Nc6. Black had a minor edge for a few moves until allowing White a tactic.
Instead of 5 Qg4, White played the normal 5 f4 in Sargsyan, M - Shirov, A, Titled Tuesday 18th Mar Late 2025, leading to 5...c5 6 Nf3 Nc6:
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There followed 7 Be2 (7 Bb5 is popular, and Carlsen tried 7 c4!? In an online Blitz game) 7...Be7 8 0-0 0-0, and instead of 9 d4 with equality, White played 9 Nc3?! and had to surrender the center after 9...f6!.
Till next month, John
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