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French Defense · As Black · updated October 2026

Play the French like Alexander Grischuk

A French repertoire built from 69 of Alexander Grischuk's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Alexander Grischuk chose most often. Where Alexander Grischuk 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 Alexander Grischuk or Chess.com.

  • Alexander Grischuk was #21 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,249) and scored 67% against opponents averaging 2,818 in these games.
  • You play Alexander Grischuk's own move in 34 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#21

Chess.com

Rating

3,249

Games

69

in this opening

Score

67%

in these games

Opponents

2,818

average rating

More about Alexander Grischuk

Use arrow keys to navigate the board. Press Enter to select a piece, then use arrow keys and Enter to move. Press Escape to cancel a move.
Line 1 after 12 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 11% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3 c4 7.Nbd2 Na5

  2. Line 2 · 8% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.exd5 Nxd5 7.N2f3 Be7

  3. Line 3 · 7% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Qb6 9.Qd2 Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qa3 11.Bb5 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 a6 13.Bxd7+ Bxd7 14.Rb3 Qe7 15.Rxb7 Qh4+ 16.Bf2 Qd8

  4. Line 4 · 6% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd6

  5. Line 5 · 6% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.c3 Bd6

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 gxf6 7.Nf3 f5 8.Nc3 a6

  7. Line 7 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.dxc5 Bxc5 7.Qg4 g6 8.Nf3 a6

  8. Line 8 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 d5

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

    2.d3 c5

Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.

Alexander Grischuk's main line in the French, move by move

The most common line at top level: 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3 c4 7.Nbd2 Na5.

  1. 2.d4 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 2.d4. At top level, this comes up about 87% of the time.
  2. 2…d5 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 2…d5 in 60 games, scoring 63%.
  3. 3.e5 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 3.e5. At top level, this comes up about 22% of the time.
  4. 3…c5 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 3…c5 in 15 games, scoring 47%.
  5. 4.c3 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 4.c3.
  6. 4…Nc6 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 4…Nc6 in 15 games, scoring 47%.
  7. 5.Nf3 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 5.Nf3.
  8. 5…Qb6 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 5…Qb6 in 9 games, scoring 44%.
  9. 6.a3 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 6.a3. At top level, this comes up about 14% of the time.
  10. 6…c4 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 6…c4 in 4 games, scoring 75%.
  11. 7.Nbd2 Reply · Alexander Grischuk's games A common reply here is 7.Nbd2. At top level, this comes up about 11% of the time.
  12. 7…Na5 Your move · Alexander Grischuk's games Alexander Grischuk played 7…Na5 in 3 games, scoring 67%.

Questions about this course

How does Alexander Grischuk play the French?
After 1.e4 e6, Alexander Grischuk's most common line is 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3 c4 7.Nbd2 Na5. At top level it comes up about 11% of the time.
Is this Alexander Grischuk's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Alexander Grischuk's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this French course based on?
69 of Alexander Grischuk's Chess.com blitz games in the French Defense as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 2,818. Alexander Grischuk scored 67% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
10 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 Alexander Grischuk?
GM Alexander Grischuk was ranked number 21 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,249 when this course was built.