French Defence

The French Defence is a chess opening. It is characterised by the opening moves (see algebraic notation):

1.Chess/Opening Theory/1.e4 Chess/Opening Theory/1.e4/1...e6, typically followed by

2.Chess/Opening Theory/1.e4/1...e6/2.d4 Chess/Opening Theory/1.e4/1...e6/2.d4/2...d5

giving the position at right.

The defence has a reputation for solidity and resilience, though it can result in a somewhat cramped game for Black in the early stages. Black often gains counterattacking possibilities on the queenside while White tends to concentrate on the kingside.

The defence is named after a match played by correspondence between the cities of London and Paris in 1834 (although earlier examples of games with the opening do exist). In the early 20th century, Géza Maróczy was perhaps the first world-class player to make it his primary weapon against 1.e4. It is currently Black's third most popular reply to 1.e4, behind only 1...c5 and 1...e5. Players including Viktor Korchnoi, Mikhail Botvinnik, Wolfgang Uhlmann and Nigel Short have been particularly fond of it. More recently, the defence has featured strongly in the opening repertoires of Evgeny Bareev, Alexander Khalifman, Alexander Morozevich, and Teimour Radjabov.

Following the opening moves 1.e4 e6, the game usually continues 2.d4 d5. White expands his claim on the centre, while Black immediately challenges the pawn on e4. White has several main options — he can exchange pawns with 3.Chess/Opening Theory/1.e4/1...e6/2.d4/2...d5/3.exd5 exd5, he can push the pawn forward with 3.Chess/Opening Theory/1.e4/1...e6/2.d4/2...d5/3.e5, or he can defend it with 3.Chess/Opening Theory/1.e4/1...e6/2.d4/2...d5/3.Nd2 or 3.Chess/Opening Theory/1.e4/1...e6/2.d4/2...d5/3.Nc3.

General considerations

The diagram on the left displays the pawn structure most typical of the French Defence. Black has more space on the queenside (see chess terminology) so tends to focus on that side of the board. He almost always plays ...c7-c5 at some point to attack White's pawn chain at its base, and may follow up by advancing his a- and b-pawns.

Alternatively or simultaneously, Black may try to break down White's centre, which is cramping his position. Usually playing ...c7-c5 is not enough to achieve this, so Black will often play ...f7-f6. If White supports the pawn on e5 by playing f2-f4, then Black has two common ideas. Black may strike directly at the f-pawn by playing ...g7-g5. The pawn on g5 may also threaten to advance to g4 to drive away a white knight on f3. Or, he may play ...fxe5, and if White recaptures with the f-pawn then Black gains an open f-file for his rook. Then, as White usually has a knight on f3 guarding his pawns on d4 and e5, Black may sacrifice the exchange with ...Rxf3 to further undermine the white centre. On the other hand, if White plays dxe5 then the a7-g1 diagonal is opened, making it less desirable for White to castle kingside. Sometimes, if White is underdeveloped and his king is still in the centre, Black may sacrifice a piece on e5 to destroy White's centre totally and begin an attack.

White usually tries to exploit his extra space on the kingside where he can sometimes create a mating attack. White tries to do this in the Alekhine-Chatard attack, for example. Another example is the following line of the Classical French: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.f4 0-0 8.Nf3 c5 9.Bd3 (see right)

White's light-square bishop eyes the weak h7-pawn, which is usually defended by a knight on f6 but here it has been pushed away by e5. A typical way for White to continue his attack is 9...cxd4 10.Bxh7+ Kxh7 11.Ng5+ when Black must give up his queen to avoid being mated with 11...Qxg5 12.fxg5 dxc3. Black has three minor pieces for the queen, which in theory is a straight swap, but his king is vulnerable and White has good attacking chances.

Apart from a piece attack, White may play for the advance of his kingside pawns (an especially common idea in the endgame), which usually involves f2-f4, g2-g4 and then f4-f5. A white pawn on f5 can be very strong as it may threaten to capture on e6 or advance to f6. Sometimes pushing the h-pawn to h5 or h6 may also be effective. A modern idea is for White to gain space on the queenside by playing a2-a3 and b2-b4. If implemented successfully, this will restrict Black's pieces even more.

One of Black's main problems in the French Defence is his queen's bishop, which is blocked in by his own pawn on e6. The bishop can be almost useless for the early part of the game, and unless Black makes some effort to free it (usually with the pawn breaks ...c5 and ...f6), it can remain that way for the whole game. An often cited example of the potential weakness of this bishop is Tarrasch-Teichmann, San Sebastian 1912, in which the position on the left was reached after 15 moves of a Classical French.

Here Black is reduced to complete passivity. The bishop on c8 is a pathetic sight, hemmed in by Black's own pawns on a6, b5, d5, e6 and f7. White will probably try to trade off Black's knight, which is the only one of his pieces that has any scope. Although it might be possible for Black to defend this position and hold on for a draw, it is not easy and, barring any mistakes by White, Black will have no chances to create counterplay. In Tarrasch - Teichmann, White won after 41 moves. In order to avoid this sort of fiasco, Black usually makes it a priority early in the game to find a useful post for the bishop. Black often plays ...b6 and ...Ba6 or ...Bd7-b5 to do this, and can trade it off for White's light-square bishop if it is also on the a6-f1 diagonal. If Black's f-pawn has moved to f6, then Black may also consider bringing the bishop to g6 or h5 via e8.

Exchange Variation: 3.exd5 exd5

The Exchange Variation was probably White's most popular response to the French in the 19th century, but has been in decline ever since. Garry Kasparov experimented with it in the early 1990s, gaining a widely publicized victory over Nigel Short in 1991, but later switched to 3.Nc3. It has a reputation of being safe for White, but rather dull due to the symmetrical pawn structure. White retains the advantage of the first move, but Black's game is made much easier as his queen's bishop has already been liberated. White often chooses this line in hopes of an early draw, and indeed draws often occur if neither side breaks the symmetry. An extreme example was Capablanca–Maróczy, Lake Hopatcong 1926, which went: 4.Bd3 Bd6 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.0-0 0-0 7.Bg5 Bg4 8.Re1 Nbd7 9.Nbd2 c6 10.c3 Qc7 11.Qc2 Rfe8 12.Bh4 Bh5 13.Bg3 Bxg3 14.hxg3 Bg6 15.Rxe8+ Rxe8 16.Bxg6 hxg6 17.Re1 Rxe1+ 18.Nxe1 Ne8 19.Nd3 Nd6 and the game was drawn two moves later.

To create genuine winning chances, White will often play c2-c4 at some stage to put pressure on Black's d5-pawn. Black can give White an isolated queen's pawn by capturing on c4, but this gives White's pieces greater freedom, which may lead to attacking chances. This occurs in lines such as 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 (played by GMs Normunds Miezis and Maurice Ashley) and 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.c4. Conversely, if White declines to do this, Black may play ...c7-c5 himself, e.g. 4.Bd3 c5.

Another way to imbalance the game is for White and Black to castle on opposite sides of the board. An example of this is the line 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Bd6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.0-0 Nge7 8.Re1 Qd7 9.Nbd2 0-0-0.

Advance Variation 3.e5

Like the Exchange, the Advance Variation was frequently played in the early days of the French Defence. Aron Nimzowitsch believed it to be White's best choice and enriched its theory with many interesting ideas. However, the Advance declined in popularity throughout most of the 20th century until it was revived in the 1980s by GM and prominent opening theoretician Evgeny Sveshnikov, who continues to be a leading expert in this line. In recent years, it has become nearly as popular as 3.Nd2; GM Alexander Grischuk has championed it successfully at the highest levels.

The main line of the Advance Variation continues 3...c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3. (An alternative strategy for Black is 4...Qb6 5.Nf3 Bd7 intending 6...Bb5 to trade off the "bad" queen's bishop.) At this point, Black usually plays 5...Qb6 or 5...Bd7.

5...Qb6 is the traditional move, increasing the pressure on d4. A famous trap now occurs after 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Nxd4?? 8.Nxd4 Qxd4?? 9.Bb5+ winning the Black queen by discovered attack. Black should play 7...Bd7 instead to prevent this. White may decide to sacrifice his d-pawn anyway by continuing 8.0-0 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4 10.Nc3. This is the Milner-Barry Gambit, named after Sir Stuart Milner-Barry, and is considered to be of marginal soundness.

Therefore, White's most common replies to 5...Qb6 are 6.a3 and 6.Be2. 6.a3 is currently the most important line in the Advance: it prepares 7.b4, gaining space on the queenside. Black may prevent this with 6...c4 or he may continue his development with 6...Nh6, intending ...Nf5. 6.Be2 is the older alternative, aiming simply to castle. Once again, a common Black response is 6...Nh6 intending 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 Nf5 attacking d4.

5...Bd7 was mentioned by Greco as early as 1620, and was revived and popularized by Viktor Korchnoi in the 1970s. Now a main line, the idea behind the move is that since Black usually plays ...Bd7 sooner or later, he plays it right away and waits for White to show his hand. As in the case of 5...Qb6, White most commonly plays 6.a3, with ideas similar to 5...Qb6 6.a3, or 6.Be2 Nge7, when Black may continue 7...Nf5 to attack d4 or 7...Ng6 followed by ...f6 to attack e5.

Tarrasch Variation 3.Nd2

The Tarrasch Variation is named after Siegbert Tarrasch. This move was particularly popular during the late 1970s and early 1980s when Anatoly Karpov used it to great effect. It is still played today by players seeking a small, safe advantage.

The move differs from 3.Nc3 in several respects: it doesn't block the path of White's c pawn, which means he can play c3 at some stage to support the d4 pawn; and it avoids the Winawer Variation because 3...Bb4 can be met with 4.c3 when Black has wasted a move (he has to retreat his bishop).

3...c5 4.exd5 exd5, a staple of many old Karpov-Korchnoi battles, usually leads to Black having an isolated queen's pawn (see Isolated pawn). The main line continues 5.Ngf3 Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd6 7.0-0 Nge7 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Nb3 Bb6 with a position where if White can neutralize the activity of Black's pieces in the middlegame, he will have a slight endgame advantage. Another possibility for White is 5.Bb5+ Bd7 (5...Nc6 is also possible) 6.Qe2+ Be7 7.dxc5 to trade off the bishops and make it more difficult for Black to regain the pawn.

3...c5 4.exd5 Qxd5!? is an important alternative for Black. The idea is to trade his c- and d-pawns for White's d- and e-pawns, leaving Black with an extra centre pawn. This constitutes a slight structural advantage, but in return White gains time for development by harassing Black's queen. This interplay of static and dynamic advantages is the reason why this line has become popular in the last decade. Play usually continues 5.Ngf3 cxd4 6.Bc4 Qd6 7.0-0 Nf6 (preventing 8.Ne4) 8.Nb3 Nc6 9.Nbxd4 Nxd4, and here White may stay in the middlegame with 10.Nxd4 or offer the trade of queens with 10.Qxd4.

While the objective of 3...c5 was to break open the centre, 3...Nf6 aims to close it. After 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 (6...b6 intends ...Ba6 next to get rid of Black's "bad" light-squared bishop, a recurrent idea in the French) 7.Ne2 (leaving f3 open for the queen's knight) 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 Nxf6 10.Nf3 Bd6 Black has freed his pieces at the cost of having a backward pawn on e6. White may also choose to preserve his pawn on e5 by playing 4.e5 Nfd7 5.c3 c5 6.f4 Nc6 7.Ndf3, but his development is slowed as a result.

3.Nd2 Nc6 is known as the Guimard Variation: after 4.Ngf3 Nf6 5.e5 Nfd7 Black will exchange off White's cramping e-pawn next move by ...f6. However, Black does not exert any pressure on d4 because he cannot play ...c5, so White should maintain a slight advantage.

A fashionable line among top GMs as of 2004 is 3...Be7!?, an odd-looking move which aims to prove that every White move now has its drawbacks, e.g. after 4.Ngf3 Nf6 5.e5 Nfd7 White cannot now play f4, whereas 4.Bd3 c5 5.dxc5 Nf6 and 4.e5 c5 5.Qg4 Kf8!? lead to obscure complications. Amazingly, 3... h6?!, with a similar rationale, has also gained some adventurous followers in recent years, including GM Alexander Morozevich. Another rare line is 3...a6, the idea being to deny White's light-square bishop use of b5 before playing ...c5.

Main Line 3.Nc3

Played in over 40% of all games involving the French, 3.Nc3 can be thought of as the main line of this defence. Black has three main options, 3...dxe4 (the Rubinstein Variation), 3...Bb4 (the Winawer Variation) and 3...Nf6 (the Classical Variation). An eccentric idea is 3...Nc6!? 4.Nf3 Nf6 with the idea of 5.e5 Ne4; German IM Helmut Reefschlaeger has been fond of this move.

Rubinstein Variation 3...dxe4

This variation is named after Akiba Rubinstein and can also arise after 3.Nd2 dxe4. White has freer development and more space in the centre, which Black hopes to neutralize by playing ...c7-c5 at some point. This solid line has undergone a modest revival as a drawing weapon but theory still gives White a slight edge. After 4.Nxe4, Black can choose either 4...Bd7 5.Nf3 Bc6 (the Fort Knox Variation) activating the light-square bishop, or 4...Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 when he is ready for ...c5.

Winawer Variation 3...Bb4

This variation, named after Simon Winawer and pioneered by Aron Nimzowitsch and Mikhail Botvinnik, is one of the main systems in the French. Around the middle of the 20th century, it was the most often seen move after 3.Nc3, but around the 1980s, the Classical Variation began to be revived, and has since become more popular.

3...Bb4 pins the knight on c3 to the king, leaving the e4-pawn undefended. White normally moves his pawn into safety with 4.e5, gaining space and hoping to show that Black's b4-bishop is misplaced. Black usually replies 4...c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3:

White has more room on the kingside, where Black is even weaker than usual because he has traded off his dark-square bishop. Combined with the bishop pair, this gives White dangerous attacking chances. Black's compensation comes in the form of White's doubled c-pawns, which are liable to come under attack.

In the diagrammed position, Black most frequently plays 6...Ne7. (The main alternative is 6...Qc7, intending to meet 7.Qg4 with 7...f5.) Now White can exploit the absence of Black's dark-square bishop by playing 7.Qg4, giving Black two choices: he may sacrifice his kingside pawns with 7...Qc7 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 cxd4 but destroy White's centre in return; or he can play 7...0-0 8.Bd3 Nbc6, which is less sharp.

If the tactical complications of 7.Qg4 are not to White's taste, 7.Nf3 and 7.a4 are good positional alternatives. 7.Nf3 is a natural developing move. The purpose behind 7 a4 is threefold: it prepares Bc1-a3, prevents Black from playing ...Qa5-a4 or ...Bd7-a4 attacking c2, and if Black plays ...b7-b6, White may play a4-a5.

Both sides have many alternatives to the main line Winawer. On the fourth move, some of White's options include:

4. exd5 exd5, transposing to a line of the Exchange Variation;
4. Ne2 (the Alekhine Gambit) 4...dxe4 5.a3 Be7 (5...Bxc3+ is necessary if Black wants to try to hold the pawn) 6.Nxe4 to prevent Black from doubling his pawns;
4. Bd3 defending e4;
4. a3 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 dxe4 6. Qg4, another attempt to exploit Black's weakness on g7.

After 4.e5 c5, White can also try 5. Bd2, again preventing the doubled pawns and making possible 6. Nb5, where the knight may hop into d6 or simply defend d4.

After 4.e5, Black does not have to reply 4...c5 but may try 4...b6 followed by ...Ba6, or 4...Qd7 with the idea of meeting 5 Qg4 with 5...f5. However, theory currently prefers White's chances in both lines. Another popular way for Black to deviate is 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Ba5, the Armenian Variation. Black maintains the pin on the knight, which White usually tries to break by playing 6.b4 cxd4 7.Qg4 or 7.Nb5.

Classical Variation 3...Nf6

This is another major system in the French. White can continue with 4.e5, the Steinitz Variation (named after Wilhelm Steinitz; see below) or 4.Bg5. This threatens 5.e5, attacking the pinned knight. The most usual reply at the top level is now 4...dxe4 (the Burn Variation, named after Amos Burn). The most common continuation then is 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 Bxf6 7.Nf3 Nd7 or 7...0-0, resulting in a position resembling those arising from the Rubinstein Variation. However, here Black possesses the two bishops and thus has greater dynamic chances (although White's knight is well placed on e4), so this line is more popular than the Rubinstein and has long been a favourite of Evgeny Bareev. Black can also try 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 gxf6, as played on several occasions by Alexander Morozevich; by following up with ...f5 and ...Bf6, Black obtains a good grip on the centre in return for his shattered pawn structure. Another line that resembles the Rubinstein is 5.Nxe4 Nbd7 6.Nf3 Be7 (6...h6 is also tried) 7.Nxf6+ Bxf6.

4...Be7 used to be the main line after 4.Bg5 and is still important, even though the Burn Variation has overtaken it in popularity. The usual continuation is 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.f4 0-0 8.Nf3 c5, when White has a number of options including 9.Bd3, 9.Qd2 and 9.dxc5. An alternative for White is the gambit 4...Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.h4, which was devised by Adolf Albin and played by Chatard, but not really taken seriously until Alexander Alekhine used it to defeat Fahrni in Mannheim 1914. It is today known as the Albin-Chatard Attack or the Alekhine-Chatard Attack. After 6...Bxg5 7.hxg5 Qxg5 8.Nh3 Qe7 9.Nf4 Nc6 10.Qg4 (the reason for 8.Nh3 rather than 8.Nf3), White has sacrificed a pawn to open the h-file, thereby increasing his attacking chances on the kingside. Black may also decline the gambit in several ways such 6...a6 and 6...f6, but most strong players prefer 6...c5. The Alekhine-Chatard Attack is not very popular at grandmaster level (though it is not completely unknown, Garry Kasparov using it successfully against Viktor Korchnoi in 2001, for instance), but is more often seen in amateur games.

A third choice for Black is to counterattack with 4...Bb4 (the MacCutcheon Variation), ignoring the threat of 5.e5, when the main line continues 5.e5 h6 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Qg4. At this point Black may play 8...g6, which weakens the kingside dark squares but keeps the option of castling queenside, or 8...Kf8.

The Steinitz Variation is 4.e5 Nfd7, when White faces a choice between 5.f4 (most common), 5.Nce2 (the Shirov-Anand Variation; White gets ready to bolster his centre with c2-c3 and f2-f4), or 5.Nf3 (aiming for piece play). After 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 (7.Nce2 transposes to the Shirov-Anand Variation; a trap is 7.Be2 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Ndxe5! 9.fxe5 Qh4+ winning a pawn), Black has several options. He may step up pressure on d4 by playing 7...Qb6 or 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Qb6, or he may choose to complete his development, either beginning with the kingside by playing 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5, or with the queenside by playing 7...a6 8.Qd2 b5.

Early deviations

After 1.e4 e6, almost 90% of all games continue 2.d4 d5, but White can try other moves. The most important of these is 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2, with a version of the King's Indian Attack. White will likely play Ngf3, Bg2, 0-0, c3 and/or Re1 in some order on the next few moves. Black has several ways to combat this set-up: 3...c5 followed by ...Nc6, ...Bd6, ...Nf6 or ...Nge7 and ...0-0 is common, 3...Nf6 4.Ngf3 Nc6 plans ...dxe4 and ...e5 to block in the Bg2, and 3...Nf6 4.Ngf3 b6 makes ...Ba6 possible if White's light-square bishop leaves the a6-f1 diagonal. 2.d3 has been used by many leading players over the years, including GMs Pal Benko, Bobby Fischer and Lev Psakhis.

2.Qe2 is the Chigorin Variation, which discourages 2...d5 because after 3.exd5 the Black pawn is pinned, meaning Black would need to recapture with the queen. Black usually replies 2...c5, after which play can resemble the 2.d3 variation. 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 is the Two Knights' Variation: 3...d4 and 3...Nf6 are good replies for Black. 2.b3 is sometimes played as a gambit after 2...d5 3.Bb2 dxe4, but Black can also decline it with 3...Nf6.

Although 2...d5 is the most consistent move after 1.e4 e6 2.d4, Black occasionally plays other moves. 2...c5 is known as the Franco-Benoni. A radical twist that has been frequently tried in Internet chess games in recent years is 2.d4 f5?! (known as the Kingston Defence), which shares some characteristics of the Dutch Defence. 3.e5 poses few problems for Black after 3...Ne7 4.Nf3 c5. The biggest test for Black is the Exchange Variation (3.exf5 exf5 4.Bd3) when 4...Nc6 5.Bxf5 Qf6 kicks off some fascinating tactics.

ECO codes

The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings includes an alphanumeric classification system for openings that is widely used in chess literature. Codes C00 to C19 are the French Defence, broken up in the following way (all apart from C00 start with the moves 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5):

C00 - 1.e4 e6 without 2.d4 (early deviations)
C01 - 2.d4 d5 (includes the Exchange Variation, 3.exd5)
C02 - 3.e5 (Advance Variation)
C03 - 3.Nd2 (includes 3...Be7; C03-C09 cover the Tarrasch Variation)
C04 - 3.Nd2 Nc6 (Guimard Variation)
C05 - 3.Nd2 Nf6
C06 - 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3
C07 - 3.Nd2 c5 (includes 4.exd5 Qxd5)
C08 - 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5
C09 - 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Ngf3 Nc6
C10 - 3.Nc3 (includes the Rubinstein Variation, 3...dxe4)
C11 - 3.Nc3 Nf6 (includes the Steinitz Variation, 4.e5; C11-C14 cover the Classical Variation)
C12 - 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 (includes the MacCutcheon Variation, 4...Bb4)
C13 - 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 (Burn Variation)
C14 - 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7
C15 - 3.Nc3 Bb4 (C15-C19 cover the Winawer Variation)
C16 - 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5
C17 - 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5
C18 - 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 (includes the Armenian Variation, 5...Ba5)
C19 - 3.Nc3 Bb4 4 e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Nf3 and 7.a4

Chess openings

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