French Defense · As Black · updated October 2026
Play the French like Michael Roiz
A repertoire in the French built from 163 of Michael Roiz's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Michael Roiz chose most often. Where Michael Roiz has fewer than 3 games, the course takes the other top-50 players' most played move, then Stockfish's. Learn a line on the board, then each position comes back in a short daily review until it sticks.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by Michael Roiz or Chess.com.
- Michael Roiz was #25 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,231) and scored 65% against opponents averaging 2,991 in these games.
- You play Michael Roiz's own move in 40 of 40 positions.
- The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.
Train lines
Learn a new line move by move. Lines due for review go to your daily review first.
Free · first 5 lines need no account
Blitz rank
#25
Chess.com
Rating
3,231
Games
163
in this opening
Score
65%
in these games
Opponents
2,991
average rating
Lines to learn
- Next
Line 1 · 6% at top level
2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nc6
- New
Line 2 · 5% at top level
2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 a6 5.exd5 exd5
- New
Line 3 · 5% at top level
2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.Bd3 c5
- New
Line 4 · 5% at top level
2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Bd3 c5 7.Nxf6+ Nxf6
- New
Line 5 · 4% at top level
2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 a6 5.c3 Nc6
- New
Line 6 · 4% at top level
2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.Be3 Nd5 8.Bd2 Bd6 9.Bd3 Bd7 10.Qe2 Nf4
- New
Line 7 · 4% at top level
2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.Be3 Nd5 8.Bd2 Bd6 9.c4 Nf6 10.Bd3 c5 11.dxc5 Bxc5
- New
Line 8 · 4% at top level
2.d3 d5
- New
Line 9 · 4% at top level
2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bd7 6.Be2 Nge7 7.O-O cxd4 8.cxd4 Nf5 9.Nc3 a6
- New
Line 10 · 3% at top level
2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 d4
- New
Line 11 · 3% at top level
2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.d4 Nc6
- New
Line 12 · 3% at top level
2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bd7 6.Be2 Nge7 7.Na3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Qb6 9.Nc2 Na5 10.O-O Bb5
- New
Line 13 · 3% at top level
2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Bg5 h6
- New
Line 14 · 3% at top level
2.Qe2 c5 3.Nf3 Nc6
Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.
Michael Roiz's main line in the French, move by move
The most common line at top level: 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nc6.
- 2.d4 Reply · Michael Roiz's games A common reply here is 2.d4. At top level, this comes up about 78% of the time.
- 2…d5 Your move · Michael Roiz's games Michael Roiz played 2…d5 in 127 games, scoring 66%.
- 3.exd5 Reply · Michael Roiz's games A common reply here is 3.exd5. At top level, this comes up about 9% of the time.
- 3…exd5 Your move · Michael Roiz's games Michael Roiz played 3…exd5 in 15 games, scoring 77%.
- 4.Nf3 Reply · Michael Roiz's games A common reply here is 4.Nf3. At top level, this comes up about 6% of the time.
- 4…Nc6 Your move · Michael Roiz's games Michael Roiz played 4…Nc6 in 10 games, scoring 75%.
Questions about this course
- How does Michael Roiz play the French?
- After 1.e4 e6, Michael Roiz's most common line is 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nc6. At top level it comes up about 6% of the time.
- Is this Michael Roiz's course?
- No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Michael Roiz's public Chess.com blitz games.
- What is this French course based on?
- 163 of Michael Roiz's Chess.com blitz games in the French Defense as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 2,991. Michael Roiz scored 65% in them.
- How many lines does the course have?
- 14 lines covering 40 positions, ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. The first 5 lines need no account; saving your progress with an email unlocks the rest, free.
- Who is Michael Roiz?
- GM Michael Roiz was ranked number 25 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,231 when this course was built.