If you wish to play 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. ed5 ed5, I can recommend The Modernized French Defense, Volume 2: Against the Tarrasch by David Miedema.

https://forwardchess.com/product/the-modernized-...

That endgame is looking drawish to me, but the expression goes, "long analysis, wrong analysis". My first thought was 10.g3 and I'm pleased that Stockfish agrees with me. 10.Be3 looks very cooperative, since every piece trade helps black, and 10.Be3 allows several of them. Later in your line I also prefer 16.Nxd4, this time contrary to the engine. Finally, I have no idea why 17....

The 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nd7 move order was just played by Caruana in the Candidates, he used it to play an independent line against White's Catalan setup:

https://lichess.org/broadcast/fide-candidates-2026-open/round-2/FRTlzP2X/AtOYVAjA...

This is an endgame challenge. Theory, experience, analysis may come into play.

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. c3 c5 6. f4 Nc6 7. Ndf3 Qb6 8. a3!? a5!? 9. b3!? h5!? White's game is solid. Black's counterplay is not evident. However, maybe white has not made much progress either.

10. Be3 cxd4 11. Nd4 (11cxd? Bxa3!) Nd4 12. Bd4 Bc5 13. Nf3 Nb8 14. Bc5 Qc5 ...

an ordinary chessplayer wrote on 03/09/26 at 00:03:10:
a long-ago Yugoslav master described Fischer's style as "sharp open games followed by a transition to a better ending"
Words I remember from My 60 Memorable Games: liquidate to a superior endin...