The French Defense According to Stella: The Steinitz for Black – Part 1
For most of the Steinitz's history, 5.f4 was the main move. It was where White claimed the most space, and where every French player braced for the main fight. That has quietly changed. Modern theory has worked the 5.f4 lines out so concretely that White struggles to prove anything real — and a second front has opened at 5.Nce2, the positional try where understanding matters more than memory. Part 1 of GM Andrea Stella's Steinitz answers both, and treats them as two different problems needing two different kinds of preparation.
A repertoire built for the board
Stella used the Steinitz as his own main weapon against 1.e4 for years, and the course carries that practical experience throughout. Rather than assembling lines purely from elite theory, it also covers what happens across the board: the mistakes opponents actually make in these positions, and the ones Black has to avoid.
That practical intent shows up in the learning tools too — a set of key concepts, model games, and topic-specific exercises meant to fix the ideas in memory rather than just the moves. Together with GM Pier Luigi Basso, Stella covers 4.e5 — in his assessment, the most important line to know today — in the depth it now demands.
Two move orders, two kinds of fight
Against the historical 5.f4, the course heads for a concrete equalizer. After 5...c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5 9.Qd2 O-O 10.O-O-O, Black plays the atypical 10...Bxd4, giving up the bishop for fast queenside play with ...Rb8–b5–b4 — an idea often seen in Zvjagintsev's games. It looks like a concession, but Black gets a comfortable game everywhere.
Against 5.Nce2, memory gives way to understanding. Here Stella's recommendation is 8...f6, hitting the centre at once, and the coverage runs deepest where it counts: 12.h4, the critical engine move and GM Ivan Cheparinov's choice for White, gets two full chapters, so the sharpest attempt to surprise Black holds no surprises.
Variation map
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 — the Steinitz tabiya
5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5 9.Qd2 O-O 10.O-O-O Bxd4 11.Bxd4 Qa5 → Chapters 1–3
- 7.a3 and other sidelines → Chapter 15
5.Nce2 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Nf3 f6 — Stella's recommendation
- 9.a3 Be7 10.b4 cxd4 11.cxd4 O-O 12.h4 — Cheparinov's engine try → Chapters 13–14
- 10.b4 … 12.Qd3, the main move → Chapter 12
- 9.a3 Be7 10.h4 → Chapter 11
- 9.g3, the old main line → Chapters 9–10
- 7.Nf3, keeping the pawn on f2 → Chapters 6–7
- 7.h4 and modern sidelines → Chapter 5
Inside the course
This is a Modern Chess Premium course, built as a complete training system:
- 15 theory chapters with video explanations
- 30 test positions — critical tactical and strategic moments
- 5 key concepts — the recurring strategic ideas that hold the repertoire together
- 3 model games — full-length games showing the plans in action
- Memory Booster — for long-term recall of the key ideas
- To-Go version of every chapter — condensed files for pre-game review
- A short condensed theoretical file covering the whole 4.e5 Steinitz for Black
- Multilingual PGN files — English, German, French, and Spanish
- Full download access — all materials are yours to keep
Completing the picture
This is Part 1, devoted to 4.e5 — the line Stella considers the most important to face today — with Part 2 on the way. Since it answers 3.Nc3, players who want to cover the rest of their French in the meantime can pair it with Luca Moroni's French Defense – Tarrasch, Advance, and Exchange Variations, which handles White's other main third moves.
Whether your opponent trusts the old main line or the modern positional try, this is the preparation that meets both — start with Part 1 and make the Steinitz your answer to 3.Nc3.