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French Defense · As Black · updated October 2026

Play the French like Nikolas Theodorou

A French repertoire built from 54 of Nikolas Theodorou's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Nikolas Theodorou chose most often. Where Nikolas Theodorou 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 Nikolas Theodorou or Chess.com.

  • Nikolas Theodorou was #38 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,214) and scored 59% against opponents averaging 3,054 in these games.
  • You play Nikolas Theodorou's own move in 27 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#38

Chess.com

Rating

3,214

Games

54

in this opening

Score

59%

in these games

Opponents

3,054

average rating

More about Nikolas Theodorou

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 · 9% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bd3 Ne7

  2. Line 2 · 7% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Nc6 7.Qg4 g6 8.h4 h6

  3. Line 3 · 7% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qc7 6.Na3 a6 7.Be2 f6 8.Bf4 cxd4 9.cxd4 fxe5

  4. Line 4 · 7% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5

  5. Line 5 · 6% at top level

    2.Qe2 d5 3.exd5 Nf6 4.dxe6 Bxe6 5.Nf3 Nc6

  6. Line 6 · 6% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qc7 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Nb4

  7. Line 7 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 Nc6 5.exd5 exd5 6.Bb5 Bd6

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Ngf3 Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd6 7.O-O cxd4 8.Nxd4 Ne7 9.N2f3 O-O 10.c3 Bg4 11.Be2 Nf5

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 d5

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

    2.d3 d5

  11. Line 11 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Nc6 7.h4 Bd7 8.h5 Qa5 9.Bd2 O-O-O 10.a4 f6

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

Nikolas Theodorou's main line in the French, move by move

The most common line at top level: 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bd3 Ne7.

  1. 2.d4 Reply · Nikolas Theodorou's games A common reply here is 2.d4. At top level, this comes up about 83% of the time.
  2. 2…d5 Your move · Nikolas Theodorou's games Nikolas Theodorou played 2…d5 in 45 games, scoring 58%.
  3. 3.Nc3 Reply · Nikolas Theodorou'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 · Nikolas Theodorou's games Nikolas Theodorou played 3…Bb4 in 21 games, scoring 48%.
  5. 4.exd5 Reply · Nikolas Theodorou's games A common reply here is 4.exd5. At top level, this comes up about 9% of the time.
  6. 4…exd5 Your move · Nikolas Theodorou's games Nikolas Theodorou played 4…exd5 in 5 games, scoring 40%.
  7. 5.Bd3 Reply · Nikolas Theodorou's games A common reply here is 5.Bd3.
  8. 5…Ne7 Your move · Nikolas Theodorou's games Nikolas Theodorou played 5…Ne7 in 5 games, scoring 40%.

Questions about this course

How does Nikolas Theodorou play the French?
After 1.e4 e6, Nikolas Theodorou's most common line is 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bd3 Ne7. At top level it comes up about 9% of the time.
Is this Nikolas Theodorou's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Nikolas Theodorou's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this French course based on?
54 of Nikolas Theodorou's Chess.com blitz games in the French Defense as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 3,054. Nikolas Theodorou scored 59% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
11 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 Nikolas Theodorou?
GM Nikolas Theodorou was ranked number 38 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,214 when this course was built.