French Defence: Tarrasch, closed variation

After cxd4 the Tarrasch closed main line ends and the move black is eager to play here is f6 to hit that d4 e5 pawn structure. White recaptures with the exf6.

Now I just want to know which do you guys prefer 9.Nxf6 or 9.Qxf6 and why.

Hi,

I personally prefer to play ...a5 before ...f6. The reason being that in this Tarrasch variation I like to attack on the queenside by means of a5-a6, and the knight on d7 goes to b6. So even though I might not get this exact position I would play ...Qxf6 anyway.

Regards.

I prefer Nxf6, Bd6 and Qc7 because I really don't wanna change my good bishop

Because queens place is on c7 :)

A very common reply to black a5 would just be for white to play a4. Almost always I get that immediate reply from white. What would you develop from here, would you still play f6 in this position?

I take with my knight for the same reason, just wanted to know if anyone entertains the posibility of capturing with the Queen. As I would be interested to know why and the various common lines that follow after Qxf6.

I was just thinking about it. I think people capture with the Queen just because they want the Queen there. They have no intention to waste moves to get it back into another position, else they would just capture with the knight which is much more pleasing to the eyes too. Both knights look active.

If a4 then Qb6 is pretty decent plus the knight has an excellent outpost on b5. Then f6 afterwards is the way to go.

Hello! So, these are Book moves by your opinion or? Because we have alternative a5 before f6.

The book lines do not end after cxd4.  If it claims that, chess.com is once again wrong, just like they are with naming of lines.

...a5 by Black is garbage.

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 (3...c5! gives Black full equality) 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2! cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 Nxf6 (9...Qxf6 +/= is also an option) 10.Nf3 Bd6 11.O-O and now 11...O-O 12.Bf4! +/= and 11...Qc7 +/= both give White a slight edge whereas 11...Qb6 these days is dubious as both 12.b3 and 12.Nc3 give White the advantage.

Tarrasch as a whole though is a nothing line because of 3...c5! =.

#9
Karpov got nothing from 3 Nd2 c5 against Korchnoi.
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?yearcomp=exactly&year=&playercomp=white&pid=20719&player=&pid2=15866&player2=&movescomp=exactly&moves=&opening=C03-C09&eco=&result= 

Hmm...than is not problem in people like it always in life. ECO has a lot of variety but I dont know why then is 06 accepted by those steps. Thanks for link, I will watch it now. Your advices helps a lot.

(looking also for some human to being my coach for WC title - coach, spar parthner and friend in one person) 

I looked and 2nd game is very much "newbie" for players like them. There was some better moves to play and avoid exhanges. Endgame is not funny with repeating constant moves, unlikely. 

But, in their matches there is none of C06 game and my theme is just about C06, not any of other variety.  

#13
"my theme is just about C06"
++ Fair enough, but as #9 pointed out 3...c5 is more powerful.
You can trust Korchnoi on that, he was the most proficient player of the French Defence.
If anybody was capable of converting a minute advantage, then it was Karpov.

I need to look at 13th. 

I can agree with you that 3...c5 is powerful when it play early. Every move on 3rd by Black is another variety and I m looking for 06 to mastering that. To 09 I have a time  

Honestly, when you are Black you need only up to 5 master openings and it is all you need, with White I m looking more than 10. So, that is individual by all of us. 

It should to take Nxf6 in case of further details. Playing Tarrasch as White for me is most common by one man - Mikhail Tal.