Trample the French French Tarrasch Variation by IM Patrick Gong 22 Nov 2024 Chessable

Black’s Already Giving You The Advantage
— Here’s How You Seize It With The
Tarrasch Knight Leap

You take up White. You’re one step ahead. But Black just dilly-dallies in the center, buries their c8-bishop… and expects a good game? No! You’re not letting them off the hook. You hit them with the Tarrasch knight leap to secure the superior endgame while still in the opening — or checkmate Black in the middlegame.

Here’s how:

You grab space with 1.e4 e6. You consolidate your presence with 2.d4 d5. Then the Tarrasch knight 3.Nd2 supports your e-pawn and prepares you for action.

The d2-square is exactly where you
want your knight to be. You’ll
see why as you read on.

This is the Tarrasch Variation. Your new weapon versus the French.

Played in only 8 out of 100 online games, 3.Nd2 carries sizable surprise value, and will throw many opponents off their comfort zone.

However, the true power of the Tarrasch is its simple, brutal efficiency!

Sure, Black has a dozen legal ways to continue. But you only need 2 plans to beat them all. In both cases…

You’ll Be Happy You Brought Your Knight To d2,
Leaving Your C-pawn Free to Move!

Here’s plan #1:

If Black plays 3…c5, you clear the center. Then you saddle them with an isolated pawn, and make it a problem!

The main position of plan #1:
After Nb1-d2, you follow up with Nd2-b3 and
c2-c3 to fix Black’s pawn on d5. So you can
hammer it until it collapses!

The best part about plan #1? Your advantage only grows as the endgame draws close. With fewer pieces left, Black must swim uphill to defend their weak pawn — winning it is almost inevitable.

After only 12 moves and 2 piece exchanges,
Black is already having difficulty hanging
onto his isolated d-pawn.

And if Black plays something else?

You set plan #2 in motion.

You command two-thirds of the board, planting your pawns on c3, d4, e5… even f4. Behind this unyielding shield, your pieces rally for the final attack.

And at the slightest crack in Black’s position, you pounce on their king — swift, decisive, unstoppable!

Black tried breaking down your wall of pawns
but couldn’t. Now your queen and bishop
reorganize into a lean, mean strike team!

Of course, Black might capture your e-pawn. They can stop e4-e5.
But they cannot stop plan #2!

You bring your pawns to c3 and d4 anyway. You take complete control of the e5-square, your pawn might as well be there. Then, with everyone poised and ready, you devastate Black’s kingside — just as planned!

At the Gufeld Cup 2020, Gong only needed
14 more moves to win from this position.
See how he did it in chapter 8.

Fired up by what you see? Then step into Trample the French. It’s a Tarrasch-based repertoire for White after 1.e4 e6, created by International Master Patrick Gong.

One of Australia’s top 20 players, Gong built his career around 1.e4 and the Tarrasch Variation.

His résumé speaks volumes: 2015 Australian U16 Junior Champion, three-time Western Australian State Champion (2020, 2022, 2023), and co-champion at the 2023 Oceania Chess Championship.

Gong’s expertise in trampling the French is unmatched. And with his favorite weapon in hand, you’ll learn from a player who doesn’t just teach — he wins!

Check out what Gong has prepared for you inside:

👊 A Tarrasch repertoire for White after 1.e4 e6. With 123 MoveTrainer variations, your path to an edge has never been simpler. Only 2 powerful plans to choose from. Reign supreme in the endgame, or checkmate the king!

👊 Over 7 hours of video, with 26,000 words of expert instruction. Gong explains the ideas behind the moves. So that you’re always confident of your next step.

👊 A quickstarter guide with 12 core variations. Master the repertoire’s key tactical and strategic themes. Then start playing the Tarrasch Variation in the next hour!

👊 Plus 8 model games by Anatoly Karpov, Mikhail Tal, and other experts on the variation. Learn how the greats converted strong opening play into crushing victories. Then apply those lessons to your own games.