French Advance with 4...Bd7

Hello,

I have a question about the following French Defense position. I am not sure what is the most accurate way to reach the position, but I suppose that the way I show in the diagram is fine.

What I wanted to know is: What is the best way for White to meet this plan?

I will show a couple of ways for White to do things.

Just so you know, I precisely don't play 5...Qb6 after 4...Bd7, so that in case of 6.a3 I can play 6...f6 and get positions where Black's Queen is likely to go to c7 (instead of b6) putting pressure on e5 instead of d4.

(Before anyone starts yelling at me "putting pressure on e5? You understand nothing at the French defense", I kindly remind them it is played by top Grandmasters and advised by GM Williams in his DVD/book Killer French.)

My usual development plan is not to play ...Qb6 followed by ...Bd7-b5, but ...Nc6, ...Ng8-e7-f5 and only then ...Qb6 (further exchange of the light-squared Bishop can then happen then, for instance after playing ...Na5, ...Bd7-b5, see this GM game) .

I have seen the video series by GM Williams, aswell as analyzed the game that you linked and played the variation many times.

But im not talking about the variation that GM Williams recommends, I am talking about when Black plays Bd7-Qb6 and then a quick Bb5.

Now-a-days, nobody plays that line because it was discovered that White gets a strong game after an early dxc5 and b4, where ...Bxf2+ Ke2 is major advantage White, and basically Black is forced to trade Bishops on d3 followed by ...Bf8, leaving him with a passive and inferior game.

These days, if you want to get rid of that Bishop early, don't do it with the Queen move.  Instead, 4...Bd7 and 5...a6, intending ...Bb5.  Here, taking on c5 and following up with b4 by White is just bad, and White should continue his business on the Kingside instead.  The reason for this is Black is no longer forced to either take on f2 or retreat toward where the Bishop started in the first place.  It instead retreats to b6 or a7, something that is not possible with the Queen residing on b6.

Supposedly Langrock's recent book on the Rubinstein has coverage of this 4...Bd7/5...a6 idea.

I suppose you mean this variation?