The French Defence: Steiner Variation (1. e4 e6 2. c4) has a notable history, played by 19th-century figures like Cochrane, Staunton, Loewe, Paulsen, and Lasker, and later by 20th-century masters such as Nimzowitsch, Tartakower, Alekhine, and Rubinstein. Aimed at contesting Black’s central control, especially the d5 square, this aggressive line seeks to create early trouble for French Defense player. However, empirical and historical evidence suggests that, in practice, White often did not benefit from 2. c4 against experienced players. Endre Steiner, a Hungarian master (1901–1944), is a pivotal figure associated with this variation; he first used it successfully in 1928 and gained prominence after his 1929 victory over Tartakower at Budapest, where following 3.cxd5 exd5 he introduced the innovative move 4. Qa4+!?—a key moment in cementing the line’s reputation and one of Steiner’s most celebrated wins.
The French Defence: Steiner Variation (1. e4 e6 2. c4)
[Event “Budapest”]
[Site “Budapest HUN”]
[Date “1929.09.04”]
[EventDate “1929.09.01”]
[Round “4”]
[Result “1-0”]
[White “Endre Steiner”]
[Black “Savielly Tartakower”]
[ECO “C00”]
[WhiteElo “?”]
[BlackElo “?”]
[PlyCount “67”]
1.e4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.Qa4+ Bd7 5.Qb3 Bc6 6.d4 Nf6 7.e5 Nfd7 8.Qg3
f6 9.Bd3 Bb4+ 10.Nc3 O-O 11.Qh3 g6 12.Bh6 Re8 13.f4 Nf8 14.Nf3 Qd7 15.Qh4 fxe5
16.fxe5 Bb5 17.Bxb5 Qxb5 18.Qf6 Ne6 19.Ng5 Qd7 20.O-O Nxg5 21.Qxg5 Nc6 22.Rf6 Nxd4 23.Nxd5
Ne6 24.Rxg6+ hxg6 25.Qxg6+ Kh8 26.Nf6 Rg8 27.Qh5 Rxg2+ 28.Kxg2 Qc6+ 29.Kh3 Ng7 30.Bxg7+ Kxg7
31.Rg1+ Kf8 32.Rg8+ Ke7 33.Rxa8 Qe6+ 34.Qg4 1-0
Steiner – Tartakower, Budapest, 1929
Tragically, Steiner’s promising life was cut short amidst the devastation of World War II. As a Jewish Hungarian, he was captured by Nazi authorities and perished in a concentration camp near Budapest on December 29, 1944. Nevertheless, his innovative contributions to the variation that now bears his name continue to inspire players to this day.
Endre Steiner
Nearly sixty years after Endre Steiner’s death, I was intrigued by another example of the French Defense: Steiner Variation. Played by Arlette van Weerse during a collegiate chess tournament in the Netherlands in 2000, White achieved checkmate in just ten moves against her bewildered opponent in the first round of the Hogeschool Zeeland Open. Interestingly, the name “Arlette” is of French origin, meaning “noble warrior,” a fitting moniker given the combative nature of the Steiner Variation
2008 FIDE Chess Olympiad.
[Event “Hogeschool Zeeland Open”]
[Site “Vlissingen NED”]
[Date “2000.07.29”]
[EventDate “2000.07.29”]
[Round “1”]
[Result “1-0”]
[White “Arlette van Weersel”]
[Black “Franciscus Antonius Kuijpers”]
[ECO “C00”]
[WhiteElo “?”]
[BlackElo “2386”]
[PlyCount “19”]
1. e4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. cxd5 exd5 4. Qa4+ Bd7 5. Qb3 d4
6. Bc4 Qe7 7. Qxb7 Bc6 8. Qc8+ Qd8 9. Bxf7+ Ke7 10. Qe6# 1-0
van Weersel – Kuijpers,
Vlissingen, 2000
The Steiner Variation became fashionable in Northern California after I began teaching the two games shown above to my students in the early 2000s. Notably, a highly talented group of chess players from Fremont, California, applied these concepts to achieve several national championships. Thanks to our efforts and enthusiasm, Endre Steiner’s variation was revived from obscurity and has since become a crucial weapon that French Defense enthusiasts must be prepared to meet, especially if they are playing in San Francisco Bay Area chess tournaments.
Below, I leave you with my best Steiner Variation victory played at Rook Odds. May it inspire you to try out the Steiner Variation in your own games!
[Event “Training Game at Rook Odds”]
[Site “Fremont, California”]
[Date “2010.02.27”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Chris Torres”]
[WhiteElo “”]
[Black “Albert”]
[BlackElo “”]
[Result “1-0”]
[FEN “rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/1NBQKBNR w Kkq -“]
1.e4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.Qa4+ Bd7 5.Qb3 dxe4 6.Bc4 Qe7 7.Qxb7 Bc6 8.Qc8+
Qd8 9.Bxf7+ Kxf7 10.Qxd8 Nd7 11.Qxc7 Ba4 12.Qc4+ Ke7 13.Qxe4+ Kf7 14.Nf3 Ngf6
15.Ng5+ Kg8 16.Qe6#
1-0