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Ideas in french paulsen variation?

After today i would like to give up with the rubinsten variation (3dxe4) due to the disaster game that i have played in my club's tournement...Someone do play this variation abitually too? Someone what to help me understand what happened? i didn't expect to fall that soon...i am quite upset, maybe i should consider to change variation...
here it is the Indicted match: lichess.org/study/dke0YQQu/DMc0pFfO#0
stockfish said that 15Nd5 is the only move that should hold...after 20 minutes i not only not found it but did not consider it neither :(
@estragon89 #1
A few years ago I saw a video where GM Dzindzi said that the Rubinstein French is basically winning for white.
I thought that that was a bit over the top, and perhaps a matter of taste and playing style, but it is true that black does not have a super easy time in that line.
Several GMs don't mind playing it though, possibly to draw with black.
I've seen GM Tiviakov play it with black.
You can also look at other options, e.g. play the Fort Knox line.
Here's a game collection with it :
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chesscollection?cid=1020033
@achja thank you i will have deep a look to the Fort Knox variation to give another try to 3 dxe4...
@estragon89

my 2 cents:
The french is not busted, but it is difficult to play. I did use it for many years though against weaker opposition in order to generate winning chances in a better endgame. But even after having had much success with it, i gave up on it, when i noticed some of the very dangerous attacking lines, white can choose, and i was not good enough to defend blacks position there.

But at the playing level you seem to be at, i guess you were attracted to get a comprehensible position soon without too many positional complexities. In that case, achja's suggestion (apparently named Fort Knox) really is a good option. I knew about it even back in the days, but wanted to keep more pieces on the board (none of your worries, i guess).

I would like to point out, that the french is more difficult, if your opponent knows in advance, what kind of system you are going to play and can prepare accordingly. If you are going to face such opponents, i would suggest to have another opening in reserve to have a safe way out.

From the looks of your example game, i immediately thought, that the line did not seem to be too different from a caro-cann. And the Caro is an excellent equalizer, not too familiar to most intermediate players.

Hoping, this helps a little.

Btw: Everyone of us did fall victim to a vicious attacker once in a while, just like you this time. Good, that you are trying to learn from it. And you probably know, that such an experience is not really caused by a good or a bad opening, but by getting surprised by a versatile attacker. - Just saying: you *could* just continue with your line, knowing, how to properly defend now.
8...cxd4 is already rather inaccurate.

On e3 with pawns on f2 and d4, white's dark square bishop is not particularly good.

On d4, however, it controls a lot of very important squares.

8...Qc7! is the main move for a good reason. It gets the queen off the d-file in case of future rook moves there, defends the c-pawn, and increases the scope of black's queen (now eyeing the b8-h2 diagonal), as well as supporting a potential move of the black square bishop to c5 (if white ever decides to play dxc5).

On move 10 the same idea is reasonable. Pieces need to be developed, and 10...Qc7 with the idea of Bc5 makes good sense (although with the bishop on d4 instead of e3, Bc5 isn't the equalizer it normally is, since white would have Be5).

11...Qd5 is also unfortunate. Sure, it attacks a pawn, but it also puts the queen in position to get kicked around by moves that reorganize white's pieces (note that many of the killing tactics involve the pressure from white's bishop on the a2-g8 diagonal, which it got to occupy with gain of time).

For better or worse, probably 11...Qa5 should be tried, with the idea of gaining some time to develop other pieces (a2 is attacked, and unlike with 11...Qd5, cannot be defended while simultaneously gaining a tempo). The position is already a bit difficult even then, though.

I'm guessing you mean 17...Nd5, and yeah, that would put up some resistance, but only because white's 17.Rxe6 wasn't the most brutal way (after Bxe6+ black will have to give up major material to deal with white's attack).

The real tipping point, where it went from difficult to dead lost, was the combination of 13...Be7 (mostly this one)and 14...Qg4 (as the engine pointed out, 13...Bd6 was a better way to deal with white's idea of 14.Rhe1, since 14.Rhe1 then would actually be a big mistake because of 14...Bf4!).

The real problems started much earlier, and were all those little moments where you lost some time and/or helped white gain time.

The combination of helping white free his dark square bishop with 8...cxd4, spending a second tempo on moving the light square bishop with 10...Bc6 while other pieces need developing, and letting white develop with tempo while putting the queen in an awkward place with 11...Qd5 made the game really, really hard to play.

The tactical mistake afterwards is really more a symptom of the difficulties you were already in than the biggest problem in the game.

Just my $0.02, or maybe more like $0.25 :)

EDIT: In response to some of the other ideas that were posted while I was spending too much time typing mine, I'm not actually convinced the Fort Knox is any easier to handle than the main Rubinstein.

Also, I'd recommend looking at Meier's games in the Rubinstein. He plays it consistently against strong opposition, and has great results.

It's just a matter of taste and how well you understand the ideas. If you don't understand the ideas, then any opening is going to be rather difficult.

If you understand the ideas well, as Meier does, then even strong GM opponents who know they can prepare for the Rubinstein will have a difficult time. :)

I pretty much agree with @a_pleasant_illusion . I don't know theory, but how can you play a move like 8...cd? Just look at this intermezzo, 8...cd 9.Bxd4, you are just activating white's pieces for free. 2 moves with this Bc8 and on c6 it's really asking for Ne5 to come.
There is a good book by Langrock about this opening. In general it's based on Georg Meier's repertoire.
@a_pleasant_illusion #6

Thank you for giving your wonderful detailed and insightful analysis. And since the OP is interested to learn, he can find excellent hints in your post. ... and in GM Meier's games. :-)

Way to go, Sir!
I admire the level of seriousity, you were bringing to the table.
Personally I don't play the French opening. However I once read an article about GM Georg Meier on chess.com which stated (with examples) that his MAIN WEAPON against e4 is the French defense -Rubinstein variation. I don't think you should give up on this opening. Try analyzing some of Georg's games. You may learn a thing or two on where you're going wrong. Just a thought. Cheers.

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