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French Defense · As Black · updated October 2026

Play the French like Ian Nepomniachtchi

A French repertoire built from 52 of Ian Nepomniachtchi's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Ian Nepomniachtchi chose most often. Where Ian Nepomniachtchi 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 Ian Nepomniachtchi or Chess.com.

  • Ian Nepomniachtchi was #30 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,225) and scored 71% against opponents averaging 2,976 in these games.
  • You play Ian Nepomniachtchi's own move in 19 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#30

Chess.com

Rating

3,225

Games

52

in this opening

Score

71%

in these games

Opponents

2,976

average rating

More about Ian Nepomniachtchi

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 8 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 13% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.Bd2 Nc6

  2. Line 2 · 7% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bd7 6.Be2 Nge7 7.Na3 Ng6 8.h4 cxd4 9.cxd4 Bb4+ 10.Kf1 Bxa3 11.bxa3 h5

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 a5 4.Ngf3 a4 5.Bd3 Nf6

  4. Line 4 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.h4 Qa5 8.Bd2 Nbc6 9.h5 h6

  5. Line 5 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 Qc7

  6. Line 6 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bd3 cxd4 6.O-O Nge7 7.Re1 Ng6 8.Nbd2 Qc7 9.Bxg6 hxg6 10.Nb3 f6

  7. Line 7 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bd7 6.Be2 Nge7 7.Na3 Ng6 8.Nc2 f6 9.exf6 Qxf6

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bd7 6.Be2 Nge7 7.O-O Ng6 8.Be3 Be7

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nc6

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 d5

  11. Line 11 · 4% at top level

    2.d3 d5

  12. Line 12 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bd3 Ne7 6.Nf3 O-O

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

Ian Nepomniachtchi's main line in the French, move by move

The most common line at top level: 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.Bd2 Nc6.

  1. 2.d4 Reply · Ian Nepomniachtchi'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 · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games Ian Nepomniachtchi played 2…d5 in 45 games, scoring 73%.
  3. 3.Nc3 Reply · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games A common reply here is 3.Nc3. At top level, this comes up about 39% of the time.
  4. 3…Bb4 Your move · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games Ian Nepomniachtchi played 3…Bb4 in 14 games, scoring 82%.
  5. 4.e5 Reply · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games A common reply here is 4.e5. At top level, this comes up about 25% of the time.
  6. 4…c5 Your move · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games Ian Nepomniachtchi played 4…c5 in 6 games, scoring 83%.
  7. 5.Bd2 Reply · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games A common reply here is 5.Bd2. At top level, this comes up about 13% of the time.
  8. 5…Nc6 Your move · Ian Nepomniachtchi's games Ian Nepomniachtchi played 5…Nc6 in 1 game, scoring 100%.

Questions about this course

How does Ian Nepomniachtchi play the French?
After 1.e4 e6, Ian Nepomniachtchi's most common line is 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.Bd2 Nc6. At top level it comes up about 13% of the time.
Is this Ian Nepomniachtchi's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Ian Nepomniachtchi's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this French course based on?
52 of Ian Nepomniachtchi's Chess.com blitz games in the French Defense as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 2,976. Ian Nepomniachtchi scored 71% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
12 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 Ian Nepomniachtchi?
GM Ian Nepomniachtchi was ranked number 30 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,225 when this course was built.