From a historical basis, using ChessBase's 2020 Mega database as the source, the next move to be tried, in 1859, was 3.Bd3.
It never really caught on, not least because after 3...dxe4 4.Bxe4 Nf6, White had to either cede the bishop-pair or spend a tempo moving the light-square bishop for a third time.
The move 3.Nc3 continued to grow in importance, even though it blocks the white c pawn from supporting d4 and allows Black to increase pressure on e4 by playing the Winawer: 3...Bb4 or the McCutcheon: 3...Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4.
Then in 1890, at the British Chess Association Congress in Manchester, Tarrasch unveiled a way of side-stepping both those variations without committing to moving the e pawn, namely 3.Nd2 (he had played the move previously in casual games, but Manchester seems to have been its competitive debut).
Steinitz was an early convert, and soon the Tarrasch Variation appeared in the repertoires of many of the leading masters of the late-19th century including Pillsbury, Schlechter and Albin.
Ironically Tarrasch gave up his variation in 1894, largely due to games like the following.
Siegbert Tarrasch - Karl Eckart
Nürnberg (Friendly) 1891
French Defence
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5
The most-popular move in Mega20 is 3...Nf6, but the text is a logical way of taking advantage of the fact that a knight on d2 does not pressurise Black's centre in the way a knight on c3 does. For Tarrasch, 3...c5 was a virtual refutation of his system as Black is almost assured of obtaining an isolated queen's pawn - something Tarrasch believed greatly benefits Black.
4.exd5 exd5 5.dxc5!?
This move is still occasionally played by grandmasters, although it has been overtaken in popularity by 5.Ngf3 and 5.Bb5+.
5...Bxc5 6.Nb3
White regains the tempo that was arguably lost in capturing on c5 before Black had moved his dark-square bishop.
6...Bb6 7.Nf3 Nf6 8.Be2 Nc6 9.c3 0-0 10.0-0 Ne4!?
An interesting and aggressive choice. Instead of developing another piece (for example ...Bf5, ...Bg4 or ...Re8), Eckart occupies a central outpost in his opponent's half of the board, probably hoping for a kingside attack.
11.Bf4 Re8 12.Nfd4!?
Wrong knight?
12...Qf6 13.Be3 Qg6 14.Re1 Bh3 15.Bf1 Ne5
Black's pieces are gathering ominously in the region of White's king. The position is roughly equal, according to the analysis engines Stockfish11 and Komodo11.01, but such positions are usually easier for the attacker to play.
16.f3 Nd6 17.Kh1?!
Seeking to drive away the Black light-square bishop, but White's position turns out to be looser than it may seem. White needs to play a consolidating move such as 17.Bf2.
17...Nec4
Even stronger is the engines' 17...Bxg2+! 18.Bxg2 Nd3, the point being that 19.Re2? loses to 19...Rxe3! since 20.Rxe3? runs into 20...Nf2+.
18.Bf2 Rxe1 19.Qxe1 Re8 20.Qc1 Bd7 21.Nd2 Bc7?!
Black keeps a pleasant edge with 21...Ne3, according to the engines.
22.b3?
More-or-less forcing Black to make the knight entry he missed last time. The engines reckon White equalises with 22.Nxc4.
22...Ne3 23.Bxe3 Rxe3 24.Be2 Nf5 25.Nf1 bf4 26.Nxf5?!
White is holding on after 26.Qb2.
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| How should Black proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
26...Qxg2+! 27.Kxg2 Rxe2+ 28.Kg1 Bxc1 29.Rxc1 Bxf5
Black has won a pawn, got his rook to the seventh rank and has the more-active minor piece.
30.Ng3 Rc2 31.Rd1!?
Objectively better may be 31.Rxc2, but White should eventually be ground down.
The game finished:
31...Be6 32.c4 Rxa2 33.cxd5 Bd7 34.Ne4 Rc2 35.b4 b6 36.Ra1 Rc7 37.Kf2 f5 38.Ng5 h6 39.Nh3 g5 40.f4 g4 41.Ng1 Bb5 0-1
The knight cannot move (42.Ne2? Rc2 43.Re1 Rxe2+ 44.Rxe2 Bxe2 45.Kxe2 Kf7) and meanwhile White has too many weak pawns.
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