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French Defense · As Black · updated October 2026

Play the French like Salem AR Saleh

A French repertoire built from 40 of Salem AR Saleh's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Salem AR Saleh chose most often. Where Salem AR Saleh 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 Salem AR Saleh or Chess.com.

  • Salem AR Saleh was #41 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,206) and scored 49% against opponents averaging 3,115 in these games.
  • You play Salem AR Saleh's own move in 23 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#41

Chess.com

Rating

3,206

Games

40

in this opening

Score

49%

in these games

Opponents

3,115

average rating

More about Salem AR Saleh

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 10 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 10% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.a3 Bd6

  2. Line 2 · 8% at top level

    2.Nf3 d5

  3. Line 3 · 8% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Nc6

  4. Line 4 · 8% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.O-O Bd7 8.Re1 Nge7 9.h4 a6 10.h5 Rc8

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 cxd4 5.exd5 Qxd5 6.Bc4 Qd7 7.O-O Nc6 8.Nb3 a6

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.dxc5 Nf6 6.Ngf3 Qxc5 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.O-O Be7

  7. Line 7 · 5% at top level

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

  8. Line 8 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd7 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 Qc7

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

    2.Qe2 d5 3.exd5 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nxd5 5.Nxd5 Qxd5 6.Nf3 Nc6

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

Salem AR Saleh'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 Nf6 6.a3 Bd6.

  1. 2.d4 Reply · Salem AR Saleh'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 · Salem AR Saleh's games Salem AR Saleh played 2…d5 in 31 games, scoring 48%.
  3. 3.Nc3 Reply · Salem AR Saleh's games A common reply here is 3.Nc3. At top level, this comes up about 25% of the time.
  4. 3…Bb4 Your move · Salem AR Saleh's games Salem AR Saleh played 3…Bb4 in 10 games, scoring 55%.
  5. 4.exd5 Reply · Salem AR Saleh's games A common reply here is 4.exd5. At top level, this comes up about 15% of the time.
  6. 4…exd5 Your move · Salem AR Saleh's games Salem AR Saleh played 4…exd5 in 6 games, scoring 58%.
  7. 5.Bd3 Reply · Salem AR Saleh's games A common reply here is 5.Bd3. At top level, this comes up about 13% of the time.
  8. 5…Nf6 Your move · Salem AR Saleh's games Salem AR Saleh played 5…Nf6 in 5 games, scoring 50%.
  9. 6.a3 Reply · Salem AR Saleh's games A common reply here is 6.a3. At top level, this comes up about 10% of the time.
  10. 6…Bd6 Your move · Salem AR Saleh's games Salem AR Saleh played 6…Bd6 in 3 games, scoring 50%.

Questions about this course

How does Salem AR Saleh play the French?
After 1.e4 e6, Salem AR Saleh's most common line is 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.a3 Bd6. At top level it comes up about 10% of the time.
Is this Salem AR Saleh's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Salem AR Saleh's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this French course based on?
40 of Salem AR Saleh's Chess.com blitz games in the French Defense as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 3,115. Salem AR Saleh scored 49% 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 Salem AR Saleh?
GM Salem AR Saleh was ranked number 41 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,206 when this course was built.