Common Lines in the French Defense

The Winawer Variation is reached when Black chooses to immediately attack the knight on c3 by playing 3. ... Bb4. White usually responds with 4. e5, safeguarding the pawn in case of a trade on c3. The Winawer leads to complex positions and requires a good amount of theoretical knowledge to stay out of trouble. Black will usually trade on c3, gaining a queenside advantage in exchange for the loss of his dark-squared bishop.