French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation Declined

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 Qc7 8.Bd3

ECO C18

The French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation Declined is a chess opening line in the French Defense complex, reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 Qc7 8.Bd3.

It is catalogued under code C18 in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO).

The defining move Bd3 is chosen by White on move 8.

Study this line with a grandmaster

This position is covered in the Beat the French with 3.Nc3 course: a GM-authored repertoire you study move by move, then practice against a human-like AI opponent.

Every chess term used here is defined in the chess terms glossary. Browse all opening courses or the full ECO code index.