French Defense
ECO C00 · 1. e4 e6
The French Defense, 1.e4 e6, prepares ...d5 to challenge White's center with pawns. It is solid and strategically rich, with closed pawn chains that decide the course of the game.
Plans for White
After 2.d4 d5 White can advance with 3.e5 (Advance Variation), keep tension with 3.Nc3 or 3.Nd2 (Tarrasch), or exchange with 3.exd5. In closed lines White uses extra kingside space for attacks with Qg4, h4 and piece sacrifices on h7.
Plans for Black
Black attacks the base of White's pawn chain with ...c5 and ...f6, uses the half-open c-file and pressures d4 with ...Nc6, ...Qb6 and ...Nf5 or ...Ne7. The light-squared bishop on c8 is the famous problem piece; reactivating it via ...b6 and ...Ba6 or ...Bd7-b5 is a recurring theme.
Typical pawn structures
The classic French chain is White's d4-e5 against Black's e6-d5. White plays on the kingside, Black on the queenside and in the center. The Exchange Variation gives a symmetrical open e-file instead.
Who it suits
Positional and counterattacking players who like clear pawn-structure plans and do not mind a slightly cramped position.
Common traps
In the Advance Variation, after 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4, grabbing with 7...Nxd4? 8.Nxd4 Qxd4?? 9.Bb5+ loses the queen to a discovered attack. White must also remember the Greek gift Bxh7+ only works when the knight can follow to g5.
Variations
- French Defense: Winawer Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4
- French Defense: Tarrasch Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2
- French Defense: Advance Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5
- French Defense: Exchange Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5
- French Defense: Classical Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6
- French Defense: McCutcheon Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4
- French Defense: Rubinstein Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4
- French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4
- French Defense: St. George Defense — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 a6
- French Defense: Steinitz Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 a6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7
- French Defense: Banzai-Leong Gambit — 1. e4 e6 2. b4
- French Defense: Horwitz Attack — 1. e4 e6 2. b3
- French Defense: King's Indian Attack — 1. e4 e6 2. d3
- French Defense: Knight Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. Nf3
- French Defense: La Bourdonnais Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. f4
- French Defense: Bird Invitation — 1. e4 e6 2. Bb5
- French Defense: Chigorin Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. Qe2
- French Defense: Normal Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. d4
- French Defense: Queen's Knight — 1. e4 e6 2. Nc3
- French Defense: Réti-Spielmann Attack — 1. e4 e6 2. g3
- French Defense: Steiner Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. c4
- French Defense: Steinitz Attack — 1. e4 e6 2. e5
- French Defense: Baeuerle Gambit — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 b5
- French Defense: Franco-Hiva Gambit — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 f5
- French Defense: Franco-Sicilian Defense — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 c5
- French Defense: Mediterranean Defense — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 Nf6
- French Defense: Alapin Gambit — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Be3
- French Defense: Diemer-Duhm Gambit — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. c4
- French Defense: Franco-Hiva Gambit Accepted — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 f5 3. exf5
- French Defense: Morphy Gambit — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nh3
- French Defense: Paulsen Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3
- French Defense: Pelikan Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. f4
- French Defense: Perseus Gambit — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nf3
- French Defense: Schlechter Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Bd3
- French Defense: Two Knights Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3
- French Defense: Diemer-Duhm Gambit Accepted — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. c4 dxe4
- French Defense: Hecht-Reefschläger Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nc6
- French Defense: Marshall Gambit — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 c5
- French Defense, Classical, 4. Bg5 — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5
- French Defense: Carlson Gambit — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Ne5
- French Defense: Henneberger Variation — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Be3
- French Defense: Orthoschnapp Gambit — 1. e4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. cxd5 exd5 4. Qb3
- French Defense: Wing Gambit — 1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e5 c5 4. b4
- French Defense: Hoffmann Gambit — 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Qe2 e5 4. f4 exf4
- French Defense: Reversed Philidor Formation — 1. e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 Nc6 5. Be2