The French Defence is a chess opening. It is characterised by the moves:
1. e4 e6
The French 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
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 defend it with 3.Nc3 or 3.Nd2, he can exchange pawns with 3. exd5, or he can advance the pawn forward with 3.e5. Note that 3.Bd3? is bad as it allows 4.dxe4 Bxe4 5.Nf6, gaining time on the bishop.
Main Line 3.Nc3
Played in over 40 percent of all games involving the French, 3.Nc3 can be thought of as the main line of this defence. Black then 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 neutralise by playing ...c7-c5 at some point. This solid line has undergone a modest revival, featuring in many GM games as a drawing weapon but theory still gives White a slight edge. After 4.Nxe4, Black's two most popular options are 4...Bd7 5.Nf3 Bc6 (the Fort Knox Variation) activating the light-square bishop which is often played by Alexander Rustemov, or 4...Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 (the more common line) when he is ready for ...c5. 4...Qd5 is also an interesting idea discussed in the series Secrets of Opening Surprises (SOS) by IM Jeroen Bosch. Also there are two gambits: Ellis Gambit 3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 e5 and Donna's Gambit 3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nc6 5.Nf3 e5.
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, which threatens 5.e5, attacking the pinned knight. If 4.Bg5, then the most common 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, with 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 by Alexander Morozevich and Gregory Kaidanov; by following up with ...f5 and ...Bf6, Black obtains active piece play 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 remains 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 taken seriously until the game Alekhine–Fahrni, Mannheim 1914. It is known today 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 has never been popular at grandmaster level (though Garry Kasparov used 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 McCutcheon 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 McCutcheon Variation is named for John Lindsay McCutcheon of Philadelphia (1857–1905), who brought the variation to public attention when he used it to defeat World Champion Steinitz in a simultaneous exhibition in Manhattan in 1885.[1][2][3]
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 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.
Exchange Variation: 3.exd5 exd5
Many players who begin with 1. e4 find that the French Defense is the most difficult opening for them to play against due to the closed structure and unique strategies of the system. Thus, many players choose to play the exchange so that the position becomes simple and clearcut. White makes no effort to exploit the advantage of the first move, and has often chosen 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 20.Qb3 a6 21.Kf1 ½–½ (the game can be watched here).
Despite the symmetrical pawn structure, White cannot force a draw. An obsession with obtaining one sometimes results in embarrassment for White, as in Tatai-Korchnoi, Beer Sheva 1978, which continued 4.Bd3 c5!? 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Qe2+ Be7 7.dxc5 Nf6 8.h3 O-O 9.O-O Bxc5 10.c3 Re8 11.Qc2 Qd6 12.Nbd2 Qg3 13.Bf5 Re2 14.Nd4 Nxd4 0-1 (the game can be watched here). A less extreme example was Mikhail Gurevich–Short, Manila 1990 where White, a strong Russian grandmaster, played openly for the draw but was ground down by Short in 42 moves.[1]
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, which may transpose to the Petroff. Conversely, if White declines to do this, Black may play ...c7-c5 himself, e.g. 4.Bd3 c5, as in the above-cited Tatai-Korchnoi game.
If c2-c4 is not played, White and Black have two main piece setups. White may put his pieces on Nf3, Bd3, Bg5 (pinning the black knight), Nc3, Qd2 or the Queen's knight can go to d2 instead and White can support the centre with c3 and perhaps play Qb3. Conversely, when the queen's knight is on c3, the king's knight may go to e2 when the enemy Bishop and Knight can be kept out of the key squares e4 and g4 by f3. When the Knight is on c3 in the first and last of the above strategies, White may choose either short or long castling. The positions are so symmetrical that the options and strategies are the same for both sides.
Another way to unbalance the position is for White or 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
The main line of the Advance Variation continues 3...c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3.
After 5.Nf3, the main lines are 5...Qb6 and 5...Bd7. The idea behind 5...Qb6 is to increase the pressure on d4 and eventually undermine the White center. Qb6 also attacks the b2 square, so White's dark-squared bishop cannot easily defend the d4 pawn without losing the b2 pawn.
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 intending to take en passant if White plays b4, which creates a closed game where Black fights for control of the b3 square. On the other hand, Black may continue developing with 6...Nh6, intending ...Nf5. Nh6 seems strange as White can double the pawn with Bxh6, but this is actually considered good for Black. Black plays Bg7 and O-O and Black's king has adequate defense and White will miss his apparently 'bad' dark squared bishop. 6.Be2 is the other alternative, aiming simply to castle. Once again, a common Black response is 6...Nh6 intending 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 Nf5 attacking d4. When the king's knight reaches f5 from h6, there will be three pieces and a pawn attacking the d4 point while there will only be the Nf3, pawn c3, and Qd1 defending the d4 pawn. As said earlier, White's dark-squared bishop cannot come to the rescue because the b2 pawn will fall. Thus, White must plan prophylactically and reply to 6...Nh6 with 7. Na3 preparing to defend the d4 pawn with Nc2.
5...Bd7 was mentioned by Greco as early as 1620, and was revived and popularised 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. If white plays 6. a3 in response, modern theory says that Black equalises or is better after 6...f6! The lines are complex, but the main point is that a3 is a wasted move if the Black Queen is not on b6 and so Black uses the extra tempi to attack the white center immediately. Black may continue 7...Nf5 to attack d4 or 7...Ng6 followed by ...f6 to attack e5.
There are alternative strategies to 3...c5 that were tried in the early 20th century such as 3... b6, intending to fianchetto the bad bishop or 3...Nc6, played by Carlos Guimard, intending to keep the bad bishop on c8 or d7 which is passive and obtains little counterplay. Also, 4...Qb6 5.Nf3 Bd7 intending 6...Bb5 to trade off the "bad" queen's bishop is possible.
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 lacks the pinning effect, with simply 4.c3 being possible, when Black has got nowhere.
3...c5 4.exd5 exd5, a staple of many old Karpov-Korchnoi battles, including seven games in their 1974 match, 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 neutralise the activity of Black's pieces in the middlegame, he will have a slight structural advantage in the ending. 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 recurring 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 Nd7 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 in recent years 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, which gained some popularity in the 1970s amongst Black players, the idea being to deny White's light-square bishop use of b5 before playing ...c5.
Early deviations for White
After 1.e4 e6, almost 90 percent of all games continue 2.d4 d5, but White can try other ideas. 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, g3, 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.f4 is the Labourdonnais Variation, named after Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais, the 19th-century French world chess champion.[4]
* 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 or the Closed Variation of the Sicilian Defence.
* 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 is the Two Knights' Variation: 3...d4 and 3...Nf6 are good replies for Black.
* 2.b3 leads to the Réti Gambit after 2...d5 3.Bb2 dxe4, but Black can also decline it with 3...Nf6.
* 2.e5 is known as the Steinitz Attack, after the first World Champion who analysed and sometimes played it in the late nineteenth century. It is not considered a challenging response to 1...e6 and, as such, is relatively rare.
* 2.Bc4 is rare, to which Black may respond with 2...b6 or 2...d5.[5]
* After 2.d4 d5 White can also choose the Diemer-Duhm Gambit with 3.c4?!, but this move is considered weak by theory.[6] The most common continuation is 3...dxe4 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. f3, after which 5...Bb4, 5...c5, and 5...exf3 are all possible. Further information can be found on the DDG site.
Early deviations for Black
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 because it features the ...c5 push characteristic of the Benoni Defence after the initial moves of the French. White may continue 3.d5, when play can transpose into the Benoni, though White has extra options since he need not play c4. 3.Nf3, transposing into a normal Sicilian Defence, and 3.c3, transposing into a line of the Alapin Sicilian (usually arrived at after 1.e4 c5 2.c3 e6 3.d4) are also common. Play may also lead back to the French; for example, 1.e4 e6 2.d4 c5 3.c3 d5 4.e5 transposes into the Advance Variation of the French Defense.
* 2...f5?! is 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 initiates some fascinating tactics.
* 2... Nf6 is known as the Mediterranean Defense, and is very rare.
History
The French 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). It was Chamouillet, one of the players of the Paris team, who convinced the others to adopt this defense.[7]
As a reply to 1.e4, the French Defence received relatively little attention in the nineteenth century compared to 1...e5. The first world chess champion Wilhelm Steinitz said "I have never in my life played the French Defense, which is the dullest of all openings".[8] In the early 20th century, Géza Maróczy was perhaps the first world-class player to make it his primary weapon against 1.e4. For a long time, it was the third most popular reply to 1.e4, behind only 1...c5 and 1...e5. However, according to the Mega Database 2007, in 2006, 1...e6 was second only to the Sicilian in popularity.
Historically important contributors to the theory of the defence include Mikhail Botvinnik, Viktor Korchnoi, Aron Nimzowitsch, Tigran Petrosian, Lev Psakhis, Wolfgang Uhlmann and Rafael Vaganian. More recently, its leading practitioners include Evgeny Bareev, Alexey Dreev, Mikhail Gurevich, Alexander Khalifman, Smbat Lputian, Alexander Morozevich, Teimour Radjabov, Nigel Short, Gata Kamsky, and Yury Shulman.
The Exchange Variation was recommended by Howard Staunton in the 19th century,[9] but has been in decline ever since. In the early 1990s when Garry Kasparov briefly experimented with it before switching to 3.Nc3. Note that Black's game is made much easier as his queen's bishop has been liberated. It has the reputation of giving immediate equality to Black, due to the symmetrical pawn structure.
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 French Defense part 1 PowerBook ctg C00-C09 covers
C01 Exchange Variation
C02 Advance Variation
C03-C09 Tarrasch Variation:
C03 3.... a6 System
C04 3.... Bc6 System
C05-C06 3.... Nf6 System
C07-C09 3.... c5
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]The French Defense part 2 C10-C14 covers
C10 Rubinstein Variation
C11 Steinitz Variation
C12 MacCutcheon
French Defense Powerbook ctg 2
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]The French Defense part 3 C15-C20 Winawer Variation covers
C15 Lapus Manus System
C17 Swiss System
C18 Main Line
C19 Advance, 6. ... Ne7
C20 Exchange System
French Defense Powerbook ctg 3
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