Help with the tarrasch defense

hey all im new to the site and im loving the community feel that this site has to offer :D.

im wondering if anybody here could please explain the tarrasch defense (e4 e6 d4 d5 Nd2) to me, please explain it theories and variation, big thanks to whoever posts :D

thanks.

A couple of things: First, I think that the line you're posting is the Tarrasch variation in the French Defense. The Tarrasch defense is probably more referring to d4 d5 c4 e6 Nc3 c5.

I think the main ideas behind the Tarrasch French are:

1. Don't allow the Maccutcheon (e4 e6 d4 d5 Nc3 Bb4)
2. More fluid c-pawn, to respond to ...c5 with c3 in some variations.
3. Try to convince black to play the Rubinstein (e4 e6 d4 d5 Nd2 dxe4 Nxe4) if black doesn't want to play the other Tarrasch-specific lines.

...and make a move on their girlfriend as well.....

Tarrasch apparently didn't think much of "his" defence, regarding c5 as the antidote.....

 Thats the winawer and not the Maccutcheon which goes : 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bg5 Bb4

You are right however that most people who play the tarrasch 3 Nd2 are trying to avoid the winawer lines......

I hate that variation, particularly I don't know what to do after 4.Qg4. Its a relatively revived opening.

I'm sort of with opticnerve on this one.  It's not that exact variation, but rather the one with e5 interposed that drove me away.

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Be7 4.e5 c5 5.Qg4

Black is forced to defend with either ...g6 or ...Kf8, and I couldn't get comfortable with either, even though I know objectively, black should be okay.  The Kf8 line forces more cramped play than I'm comfortable with, and forces you to time subtle king moves that I'm not particularly strong with.  I'm not sure the dark square weakening inherent in ...g6 is too crippling in this variation, but it just doesn't pass the sniff test for me.

That's the variation that sent me back to 3...Nf6 against the Tarrasch, and ultimately, against the classical as well, to keep the repertoire thematic.

Thanks Reb, I wasn't even sure if I was spelling MacCutcheon right, so it really would have just been better if I called it like it was, Winawer.

conzipe 5...Bf8 does look interesting, though it wasn't even considered in my french book. Maybe white should play 6 c3 and 7 a3 to prevent this, when the queen still defends d4. Still the g4 queen seems exposed to possible attacks on it, so again, I'm suprised this was never looked at.

I definitely think 3 nc3 is the most critical. After 3...Nf6 black isn't dynamic right at the start like in an advance, and although it allows 3...Bb4, a strong white player can be happy with his space and bishops pointing towards the kingside, unless black plays the poisoned pawn, but I think white is supposed to come out better.

AHHH im going nuts. i keep clicking this topic thinking i will get information on the tarrasch defence that i love instead of the french opening. oh well:)

I still like Nd2 over Nc3 and several world champions share my view. Both Kasparov and Karpov prefer the Tarrasch over the main complex with Nc3.

Here is a blitz game in which I used Korchnoi's pawn sacrifice. Who says that the Tarrasch is a dull affair?

What? When did Kasparov say he prefered Nd2?

Well I don't agree. I think black has both ...c5 and ...Be7 as very reliable responses, and ...Nf6 if he's feeling sharp, and coming from a french player it just seems less challenging than playing the black side of a classical or winawer.

It is safer and it's not like it doesn't challenge black to equalize (hell the rare times I faced a french I often played Nd2), I just don't think it's as challenging as the main line.

I just checked my data base and found 52 games with Kasparov facing the french. He chose 3 Nc3 in 26 games and 3 Nd2 in 18 games. He played 3 exd5 in 6 games and 3 e5 twice.