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French Defense · As Black · updated October 2026

Play the French like Michael Roiz

A French repertoire 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.

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

More about Michael Roiz

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 6 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 6% at top level

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

  2. Line 2 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 a6 5.exd5 exd5

  3. Line 3 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.Bd3 c5

  4. Line 4 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Bd3 c5 7.Nxf6+ Nxf6

  5. Line 5 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 a6 5.c3 Nc6

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    2.d3 d5

  9. 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

  10. Line 10 · 3% at top level

    2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 d4

  11. Line 11 · 3% at top level

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

  12. 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

  13. Line 13 · 3% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Bg5 h6

  14. 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.

  1. 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. 2…d5 Your move · Michael Roiz's games Michael Roiz played 2…d5 in 127 games, scoring 66%.
  3. 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.
  4. 3…exd5 Your move · Michael Roiz's games Michael Roiz played 3…exd5 in 15 games, scoring 77%.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.