French Defense for Black - Play the Winawer Variation - Part 2: The Fire After the Foundation
When Mikhail Tal sat down against Wolfgang Unzicker in Havana 1966 and played 10.Kd1 in the Winawer, he wasn't just making a King move—he was embracing controlled chaos. The Winawer has always been the French player's weapon of choice when positional maneuvering won't suffice, when the position demands tactical precision over strategic patience. In Part 1, GM Baadur Jobava and GM Pier Luigi Basso built the solid positional framework. Now, in Part 2, they hand you the match to light the fire.
This course tackles the sharpest lines in the Winawer arsenal, with the legendary 7.Qg4 at its core. After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4, White commits to tactical warfare, and Black responds with the fearless 7...Qc7, sacrificing the g7-pawn for dynamic counterplay. The position after 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 cxd4 is where theory explodes into concrete variations, each requiring precise calculation and deep understanding. What distinguishes this course is the collaborative depth between Jobava's creative tactical vision and Basso's systematic modern approach. Having previously worked together on French Defense for Black - Play the Winawer Variation - Part 1, the authors now complete the picture by addressing every critical sharp line White can throw at the Winawer.
Variation Map
Main Line 7.Qg4 Complex:
- 10.Ne2 dxc3 11.f4 Nbc6 12.Qd3 d4 13.Nxd4 Nxd4 14.Qxd4 Bd7 (Chapters 1-4)
- 10.Ne2 dxc3 11.f4 Nbc6 12.h4 (Chapter 5)
- 10.Ne2 dxc3 11.f4 Nbc6 12.Nxc3 Nd4 (Chapter 6)
- 10.Kd1 (Tal's 1966 idea, Chapter 7)
- 10.Qd3 (Predke-Giri, Olympiad 2024, Chapter 8)
- 8.Bd3 (Negi's recommendation, Chapter 9)
5.Bd2 Complex:
- 6.Nb5 (Chapter 10)
- 6.a3 (Modern trend, Erdogmus-Aronian 2025, Chapter 11)
Alternative Fifth Moves:
- 5.Qg4 (Chapter 12)
Bonus Coverage:
- 4.exd5 exd5 (Chapters 13-14)
- 4.Nge2 and tricky fourth-move alternatives (Chapters 15-20)
What Makes This Course Essential
The course delivers comprehensive preparation with serious tournament intent:
- 11 Chapters covering main variations
- 9 Bonus Chapters addressing sidelines and alternatives
- 30 test positions to sharpen calculation and pattern recognition
- Basso's 15-minute video overview distilling key concepts
- Memory Booster for retention of critical positions
- To Go Version enabling efficient study sessions
- Video instruction throughout
Jobava and Basso don't promise easy equality or simple formulas. The Winawer's sharpest lines demand tactical awareness, concrete calculation, and the courage to enter positions where both Kings can feel uncomfortable. What they offer instead is clarity in the chaos—a reliable system where every sacrifice has purpose, every tactical blow has been analyzed, and Black's dynamic resources are always sufficient for the fight. The course examines recent high-level games, including Erdogmus's victory over Aronian at the 2025 Grand Swiss and Predke's attempt against Giri at the 2024 Olympiad, showing how the Winawer continues to produce decisive results at the highest level.
If you've studied Part 1 and understand the positional backbone of the Winawer, Part 2 gives you the weapons to meet White's most ambitious tries head-on. Every move in this course is a weapon—chaos, beauty, and precision combined in one opening.