The Mac McCutcheon Variation of the French Defense is one of the sharpest line you can aim for as Black. It’s also quite a sound Opening line, so it deserves a place in your Opening Repertoire if you like the French Defense.

One of the main point in favor of the Mac McCutcheon line is that Black can play it when White tries to play the classical line of the French. The classical French is the most positional variation at White’s disposal, and it usually leads to very strategic battles.

So, if you are a French Defense player because you love the sharp lines generated, for example, by the Winawer Variaton, then the McCutcheon is a great way to surprise White in the Classical line and shift the game towards a complex tactical battle.

Let’s take a closer look at the initial moves

I am a e4 player and the first time I faced the McCutcheon in a tournament it was against a GM. I lost, but what’s worse, I had a bad position after just a few moves.

In fact, even though the McCutcheon is mainly a sharp line, White must also be aware of a few positional threats that Black has got into his arsenal, and how to avoid them.

Let’s now walk together through a deep analysis of the Mac McCutcheon Variation of the French Defense.

General ideas and concepts

First of all, memorize the following simple concepts:

• Black wants to quickly bring a Knight to e4 and, together with the Bishop on b4, take apart White’s queenside.
• White, if he’s well prepared, can more of less ignore these threats and develop a strong initiative on the Kingside with well-timed moves such as Qg4 and a3.
• Black will almost always play the pawn break c5, to undermine White’s center.

Now, there’s one point that I have found in my analysis, confirmed by many games between GMs, and also by the computer evaluation. This point is very important, so I want to state it as clearly as possible:

To close the position with c5-c4 is strongly in Black’s favor.

The sentence above may sound slightly surprising. In fact, we are often told that releasing the tension in the center too early is not good.

However, in the French Mac McCutcheon, Black should close the queenside as soon as he can, by playing c5-c4. This will stabilize the position and avoid that White’s pair of Bishops enters the action.

In other words, when Black plays c7-c5 not only he undermines the center putting pressure on the d4 square, but he also has the positional threat of locking up the position with c5-c4.

This analysis has a very important consequence, peraphs even more important than the analysis itself, because it leads to action. Let me state it also very clearly:

White should immediately take d4xc5 when Black plays c7-c5.

In my opinion, these two concepts are what many players do not understand in this Opening Variation. In fact, I failed to capture on c5 in my game (that I mentioned above), and the GM immediately replied with c5-c4. That’s when my position started to be worse, even according to the computer.

So, to repeat it once more, the natural and best way to play for both parts is that Black plays c7-c5 and White takes d4xc5.

Here’s a list of other high-level ideas worth remembering.

• White wants to limit the squares available for the Nc3, and eventually take it in e4 by also taking back the sacrificed pawn.
• Black will want to move the queen on to the queenside eventually, like with Qa5, but must watch out for the White Queen that has freedom on the fourth rank, for example with Qg4-b4.
• Black can consider harrassing the White Queen in g4 by playing h5-g5.
• Even if Qg4 + Bd3 seems a dangerous battery, there’s basically only one line where the sacrifice in g6 works (and I will show it later).
• White should almost always develop Nf3 and O-O, whereas is not clear where Black’s King should go.

Now that we have got a nice overview of the main ideas, let’s start by taking a closer look at what variations you will learn in this article.

List of main variations

Here’s the list of variation that we will analyze together, as well as the motivation behind the move-order that leads to them.

First of all, let me clarify one point. We will only analyze the sharpest and most combative White reply to 5… g6, that is 6. Be3. The other alternative, is 6. Bd2.

1. Black plays 7… g6. In fact, White most common action plan against the McCutcheon is to bring his Queen to g4 and create threats on the Kingside. Black’s most typical reaction is to guard the g7 pawn by pushing it to g6.
2. Black plays 9… Nxc3. After a few semi-forced moves Black has a choice: to take immediately a pawn, or to strike in the center. The two can often transpose, but we will analyze them separately, starting by the greedy option.
3. Black plays 9… c5. This is the alternative of the previous point: Black tries to start center counter-attack first.
4. Black plays 9… h5. There’s actually a third alternative! And it’s a odd-looking deviation, with a stride on the Kingside to harass White’s Queen. Definitely worth looking at it.
5. Black plays 7… Kf8. This the alternative to g6, that protects the g7 pawn in a different way. There are many differences between Kf8 and g6, so we will look deeply into this one too.

At this point, we are ready to start the journey!

Black Plays 7… g6

As I said, the first crossroad for Black will come at move seven. There, Black will have to choose how to defend the g7 pawn:

• Protect it with Kf8.
• Advance it to g6.

Many inexperienced players will believe that the pawn on g6 is a source of troubles, since White will almost always develop his Bishop to d3. So, with the Queen on g4, the sacrifice Bxg6 seems very appealing.

In reality, this sacrifice will almost never work. I have found only one line where it does, that you will find below in the PGN file with the entire Opening Variation, that you can download or just view on LiChess, for free.

So, once you know this, choosing between g6 and Kf8 really becomes just a matter of taste. Both moves are sound and will lead to interesting fights.

Now, after g6 White will provoke Black with a3, forcing him to take a decision about what to do with the Bb4. Of course, the correct reaction is Bxc3, but the real question is what to do after White takes back with bxc3.

Basically, White is giving up the pawn on c3, which Black can take with Nxc3. This is a real sacrifice, in the sense that White does not have an immediate way to take the pawn back or to get an advantage. However, the compensation is clear: Bishops par, dark squares control and edge in development.

Nonetheless, taking the pawn with Nxc3 is absolutely correct, and cannot be refuted. The two player will simply continue the game with these strong imbalances. In fact, I think it’s the most critical variation, and the first we will analyze!

Other alternatives for Black, instead of taking in c3, are to immediately strike in the center with 9… c5 or to harass White Queen with 9… h5. We shall see these alternatives too.

Black Plays 9… Nxc3 (after 7… g6)

When Black plays 9… Nxc3 White will immediately reply with 10. Bd3, so making clear that the Knight in c3 lacks good squares.

If it retreats on e4, then White will take his pawn back and will enjoy the (much) better position. So Black should fight to avoid this from happening.

Clearly, retreating the Knight on a4 is not the ideal way either, however, the same knight will quickly be played on Nb6, from where it will control c4, that’s an interesting square, after all. In general, though, Black should keep that knight as long as possible in c3, so that it could be exchanged for the White Knight, if it develops in e2, and in general can cause some annoying issue to the White’s development.

The other big question is how to develop the other Black pieces. It’s quite natural to think about b6-Ba6, to exchange the strong White Bishop in d3.

This is a playable idea, indeed. Just keep in mind that White will let Black capture on d3, and than take back with the pawn cxd3, which opens up the c-file and restrains the Nc3 even more.

The other possibility is to develop the Bishop in d7, Bd7. At this first, this might be odd-looking, because how cramped Black’s position becomes. That’s true indeed. However, Black still is quite solid, and he can hold on. He’s also a pawn up, still.

Developing the Bishop in d7 also also the good point that makes the a4 square easily accessible for the Nc3, and prevents White from playing a4 himself. So, this is definitely a possible option for Black.

In fact, to answer Bd7 White should probably forget about capturing the Nc3 and simply exchange it with Ne2, so getting a lot of freedom for the rest of his pieces. After Nxe2, White would recapture with the Queen, Qxe2, then short castle, Qd2 and pressure on the dark squares on both flanks.

This is a complex line, with lots of subtleties. I want to share with you the PGN file with all variations that I analyzed and included in my own Opening Repertoire. You are free to download it, or to view it on LiChess, without any cost of course. But please let me know if you find any mistake!

Black Plays 9… c5 (after 7… g6)

To play 9… c5 instead of Nxc3 is possible, however Black must be very well prepared. In fact, this line is even sharper than Nxc3, and black must avoid many tricks that would immediately lead to comfortable advantage for White.

The main point to remember is that Black must throw in the sequence of move h5-g5, after 9… c5, to harass White Queen, otherwise he’ll just stand worse. In other words, there’s no way back to calm, solid development after you play 9… c5 and you must take the gauntlet at this point.

The first thing to know is that after 9… c5 White will play the intermediate move 10. Bd3, before capturing on c5. When that happens, the big problem is that taking on c3 with Nxc3 is already a poor idea, because after 10. Bd3 Nxc3 11. dxc5 Qa5 White will have the strong 12. Qb4! with clear advantage.

There are other alternatives but not any good, and you’ll see them later in the PGN file. Basically, h5 is the only reasonable option.

Now, h5 in itself would not be too compromising, but the fact is that White will simply place his queen on f4, and nothing has really changed. Therefore, Black is virtually forced to play g5 too, and finally push White Queen away from the 4th rank.

After h5-g5 White will likely play Qf3, and then, only then, Black can finally play Nxc3. The Knight in e4 is still under the fire of both Queen and Bishop, so Black does not have time to close the position with c4, as he would like. Therefore, Nxc3 is the only move that makes sense.

White will then play dxc5, without giving Black another chance to play c4.

At this point, the fight will revolve around the Nc3 which really lacks good squares. In particular, after 13. dxc5 White is threatening Bd4 with a big positional advantage. Black must be careful, and he can either develop with Nc6 or play d4.

At this point, all lines are very concrete and based on precise calculation. I cannot really go any deeper in the “positional” aspects of the position, and if you find yourself playing it then you will have to calculate. A LOT.

However, in such cases, it’s really helpful to take a look at what the complicated lines look like before having to calculate them on the board. This is why, once again, I am sharing with you the PGN file of my own Opening Repertoire, via LiChess. Hope you enjoy it!

Black Plays 9… h5 (after 7… g6)

The other alternative at the 9th move for Back is, as I said, to immediately play 9… h5 and harassing White Queen even before taking any action in the center.

Luckily for us and for all our students, this line actually transposes to the previous one we saw, that started with 9… c5.

The reason is that, after the very logical sequence of moves 9… h5 10. Qf4 g5 11. Qf3, the only sensible continuation for Black is to play 12… c5.

Then, after 12. Bd3 Nxc3 13. dxc5 we have transposed the game into the variation that starts with 9… c5. So, overall, one line less to study!

Just to clarify your doubts, if you have looked into the PGN I shared with you, then you know that I am talking about that (very) complex line that has the surprising, and very strong, move 16. Bb5!!, that leads to the better position for White.

I still want to leave you with some assignment, and something interesting to learn, at the end of this section. This is why, in the PGN I will share with you below, you will not only see the transposition to the line starting with 9…c5, but also the variation that starts with 6. Bd2 instead of 6. Be3.

This is a very common line, maybe even more common than 6. Be3, which however I didn’t make the main line in my own Opening Repertoire because in my opinion Be3 leads to more dynamic type of positions, which I like better.

Nonetheless, 6. Bd2 is totally sound, has been played by many many GMs over the years, and is definitely worth looking at it. This way, you will see what other type of position can arise from the French Mac McCutcheon, and your overall understanding of this Opening will benefit from it.

Black Plays 7… Kf8

At this point we have pretty much explored the lines starting at 7… g6 in depth, and you are ready for the second main choice that Black has got at the 7th move to defend the pawn g7: 7… Kf8.

The first, and perhaps most important, difference is that Black will NOT have a weakness in g6. The direct consequence of this is that in many lines after 7… Kf8 black can consider playing f5, which would be impossible with a pawn on g6.

In the cases where f5 is played, Black will also have the chance to follow-up with e5 (sooner or later), with a discover attack on the Qg4 by the Bc8, and the threat of e4, shutting down the strong Bishop sitting on d3. Of course, White has usually some tactical trick to avoid the collapse.

As an example of these ideas, let’s look at the following line.

The above variation is useful to understand a few key points:

• The same as against g6, White immediately ask the question to Black Bishop, by playing a3 and sacrificing the pawn on c3.
• White’s general strategy does not change after Kf8 (with respect to g6): the Bishop goes on d3, dxc5 is always played to open up lines, the Nc3 is clumsy, etc.
• The fact that Black can play f5 makes 10… c5 a sound move. Remember that, in the variation after 7… g6 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Nxc3 10. Bd3 , 10… c5?! was a inaccuracy. But after 7… Kf8 Black can count on the additional resource f5, and everything works quite well for him.
• In most cases, if Black plays f5, White should take en-passant and then figure out a way to keep the balance tactically. If he does not take the pawn then Black gets the better position.

So, we know that playing 7… Kf8 gives black the additional possibility to counter-strike in the center with … c5 AFTER taking on c3 with Nxc3. In the main line with 7… g6, instead Black could not do both. If you don’t remember why, go check the PGN file I gave you!

The other way to handle the position for Black is to slowly regroup his pieces with Nc4-a6-b6, Nc6 and Nd7. We saw something similar can happen after 7… g6 too.

What about White’s plans? From a very general point of view, White wants to castle Kingside, bring the Knight to h4 from where it keeps an eye on g6 and f5, and then go for the pawn break f4-f5.

In fact, in this variation I found the only “realistic” line where the sacrifice Bxg6 can work. Here it is.

Okay, it’s quite a crazy complex line, but I believe it’s not too strange. In other words, I think there are fair chances that Black plays 16… g6? in that position. In fact, all moves before that one are correct and recommended by the engine; Black should then play 16… Nc4 instead.

The real question is: would you be able to navigate the tactical complications with White?!

The last thing worth noticing, before jumping straight into the PGN file of my Opening Repertoire, is that White will really sacrifice a pawn on f5, and potentially follow-up with g4, to crash Black’s position and its weakened King.

Alright, now here you get the entire PGN file from my own Opening Repertoire for this variation of the French Mac McCutcheon!

Alternatives for Black at move 7

So far we have seen two main moves for Black: 7… g6 and 7… Kf8.

There are a few other moves that Black can play at the 7th move, but it turns out that none of them is good enough for a decent game.

So, the point to remember is: Black’s only good moves are 7… g6 and 7… Kf8.

Nonetheless, let’s take a look at the alternatives, because I think it’s important to see them at the least once in a lifetime, just to understand what are the tricks, why Black should not play any of them, and, more importantly, how to get an advantage if you face them with White!

The first alternative I want to discuss with you is the immediate 7… Nxc3. This move is a blunder. In fact, Black does not have any good discover check, therefore White can simply take on g7 with 8. Qxg7. Now the Black Rook is under attack, and moving the Nc3 (for example 8… Ne4+) with check does not change anything, because White will cove the check with 9. c3, now threatening to take both the Bc3 and the Rh8, and after 9… Nxc3 he will first play 10. Qxh8+ with check, then exchange Queens and then play 12. Bd2 with a clearly winning position thanks to the material advantage.

The second alternative that Black has is to play the immediate 7… Bxc3. This is not as bad as 7… Nxc3, but still makes little sense, because White will simply transpose to the mainline, a tempo up. For instance, after 8. bxc3 Black will play 8… g6 to defend the Kingside, and then 9. Bd3 Nxc3 we are back into the mainline that we saw after 7… g6, just that White didn’t even spend a tempo to play a3. Therefore we must conclude that this line is very good for White.

Lastly, Black could play the strange looking move 7… g5, to defend the Kingside in a very original manner. Now, this move is not immediately loosing, but your positional feeling should tell you that it “must” be wrong. White has many ways to achieve the better position indeed. The most natural is to play 8. Nge2, to support the Nc3. At this point, if Black tries 8… c5 then White has got 9. O-O-O! followed by h4, for instance 9… Bxc3 10. Nxc3 Nxc3 11. Bxc3 Qa5 12. h4! and White will be almost winning in the complications. On the other hand, playing 8… h5, in order to prevent White from acting too quickly on the Kingside, means creating permanent holes. For example, 9. Qf4 g4 10. Qf4 Nxc3 11. Nxc3 Bf8 (to keep some guard for the dark squares) 12. h3! and Black is positionally busted.

Finally, let me share with you the PGN file for this last part of the Opening Repertoire concerning this line, that you view on LiChess or download (in both cases for free).

Conclusions

In this article I went into the nuts and bolts of the French Defense, variation Mac McCutcheon.

This is one of the sharpest and most combative lines in the entire French Defense, and also a nice way for Black to avoid the flatness of the classical line, when White plays 4. Bg5.

This Opening Variation is sound, and offers a lot of ideas to both sides. I personally like it a lot when I am on the White side of it, but Black has definitely many things to say and many aces in his hand.

Remember that I shared with you, via LiChess, the PGN files of my own Opening Repertoire, that you can use at your own pace, and in any form you want, for free. You can download them for free, or just explore the lines on LiChess, again for free, or both. Let me know if you find any mistake or other interesting lines!

As always, have fun!