Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e6/2. d4/2...d5/3. Nc3/3...Bb4/4. e5/4...c5/5. a3/5...Bxc3/6. bxc3/6...Ne7/7. Qg4/7...Qc7

Winawer variation Winawer variation 7...Qc7 · Poisoned pawn variation Black lets White take the pawn on g7, but will break apart White's queenside in return. If White chooses to accept Black's pawn sacrifice, incredibly complex positions arise where general chess principles lose all meaning. After /8. Qxg7/, the main line, complications arise. The destruction of Black's kingside forces them to eventually castle long, where White has the open b-file to be used in an attack. Moreover, if all pieces are traded and an endgame arises, White will have good chances of promoting the passed h-pawn. Black will have to respond aggressively. Less common is /8. Bd3/, declining the pawn for now and preparing to castle short. History This variation was first played in 1945 between Vasily Panov and Viacheslav Ragozin.https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1116528 www.chessgames.com Panov - Ragozin, Moscow, 1945 10 February 2026 The game followed what is still considered to be the main line up to move 13, where Panov played 13. Be3. This can be attributed to the 7...cxd4 move order having been employed a decade prior already.https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?node=86237https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1981455 www.chessgames.com Neishtadt - Estrin, Moscow, 1938 10 February 2026 Theory table 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 cxd4 10. Ne2 Nbc6 11. f4 Bd7 12. Qd3 dxc3 8. ... ... 9. ... ... 10. ... dxc3 11. f4 Nbc6 12. Qd3 d4 Poisoned pawn declined 8. Bd3 c4 9. Be2 Nf5 8. ... cxd4 9. Ne2 dxc3 10. Qxg7 Rg8 11. Qxh7 Qxe5 References French Defence Winawer_Variation:_3.Nc3_Bb4