French Defense: Steiner Variation, Lecture by GM Ben Finegold

This lecture was recorded on July 17, 2024 in Roswell, Georgia. Thank you to Matt at Los Angeles Legal Advocates for sponsoring this lecture!
08:34 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs. Étienne Bacrot, Bundesliga 2012
16:04 Viktor Korchnoi vs. Hansjürg Kaenel, Swiss Championship 2001
23:09 Aleksandr Rakhmanov vs. Vlad-Victor Barnaure, Abu Dhabi Open 2014
31:31 Normunds Miezis vs. Vitālijs Samoļins, Finnish Championship 2013
37:03 Boris Men vs. Eric Torman, Motor City Open 1994
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[@elimasonofficial]

This is the best lecture by Ben Finegold about the Steiner Variation of the French Defense I’ve seen today

[@dm9910]

from someone in Ben's chair

[@beeble2003]

Now that it's Sunday, are you prepared to say that it's the best lecture by Ben Finegold about the Steiner Variaion of the Frence Defence that you've seen all week?

[@elimasonofficial]

@@beeble2003I don’t know, I need just a bit more time to think about such a bold claim

[@smort123]

Truly one of the Lectures about the French Steiner Variation of all time.

[@vivvpprof]

@@smort123 😅

[@mepex]

It's a good response to e6, popularized by Mr. Variation

[@Rubrickety]

Rakhmanov played openings no one else could play because he had such large hands.

[@vivvpprof]

😁
I wonder if all pianists have their grandmaster counterparts, whose name is the same except for the dropped "-in-" 🤔

[@raskalnekov]

This is my go-to against the French defense, I love how quickly it gets people out of theory (in my case, on move 2)

[@PatchworkPS]

This could be called the channel opening, as it's essentially in between the english opening and the french defense

[@helmutwege4730]

one of the best video about the Steiner Variation of the French Defense i have seen in a while

[@jefftaylor1186]

I’m not an e4 player, but I do play the English and transpose into the French Steiner after 1.c4 e6 2. e4 whenever I see 1…e6 so this is helpful still.

[@MartinZanichelli]

Ok, I play with c4, but against ......e6 I play a Reti: Nf3, b3,Bb2, etc

[@Ben-dk9sk]

Huzzah, I’ve been looking at this for a while (without studying it properly) even as a former French player!

[@snypervyper]

This is what I play against E6, I developed it through my own analysis and had been wishing a GM or other skilled chess player would discuss it to increase my understanding. I tried to research who this opening is named after, there's a Steiner from Australia and one from America, playing at the same time.

[@knightrider585]

Under an EU directive only chess players who are France citizens are legally allowed to play the French Defence, other nationality players can play a similar opening but it must be called the "Sparkling e6 Defence".

[@Yengi-cw2ox]

Including senegalese and nigerians?

[@MartinZanichelli]

@@Yengi-cw2ox No, real pure French, please....

[@Yengi-cw2ox]

@@MartinZanichelli you are french when you turn up at the door

[@mcewanschampion]

Soo good on your decades Ben ;)

[@vkit280]

Normunds Miezis is Latvian Chess GM and has never changed federation. He is also multiple times Latvian Champion and Latvian Board 1 in many Chess Olympiads! ☺

[@Rapidchess]

Miezis and Samolins are Latvian players, probably match is also from Latvian championships.

[@erikfurudisatoko]

Normands Miezis a c4 player likes e4 against both c6 and e6, he exchanges on d5 then play on

[@Thoukididis]

First variation of shown looks like the Panov attack

[@jordanmcmorris5248]

Yes. e4 c6 and then c4 is the accelerated panov

[@chessanthemum]

Ben playing the frame rate gambit

[@mckenziearchibald4510]

Wow this is conveniant timing needed a french weapon

[@f.d.3289]

28:48 "Actually, he played Bc5, Be7, Bd6, Be7. Those people need to be punished." 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@garysikon1812]

What about the Steiner counterattack? First analyzed but not actually played at Berlin 1945

[@bertwestera1007]

That video about the candidates was very funny, and accurate to boot, despite this minor mistake in having the staff officer state that the Steiner did not exist.

[@chilogutierrez695]

Im getting accelerated panov attack vibes

[@leredrasscul]

Did we ever hear the funny story alluded to at around 16 minutes in?

[@cdamerius2895]

When I get this as black, I try to go for the funny (but masochistic)
e4 e6 c4 d5 exd5 exd5 d4 Nf6 c5 Nc6 Nc3 Bxc5!
Only problem is getting them to play c5, which they almost never do :(

[@AG-ld6rv]

Hey, it's me Eric Torman. Sorry for not resigning.

[@pintuupadhyay2059]

I can't beat your chess bot

[@vivvpprof]

stop trying

[@ChimeMemeh]

Whats up ben weirdo