French Defense
1.e4 e6
Play Through the Opening
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Moves
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
Move 5 of 5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 (French main), 3.Nc3 (Winawer/Classical) or 3.e5 (Advance) or 3.exd5 (Exchange)
Core Ideas
French Defense concedes central space for solid pawn structure: pawns on e6 + d5 supporting each other. The c8 bishop is often the "bad bishop", posing Black's main positional challenge. French fits positional players who enjoy grinding opponents from superior pawn structure. Botvinnik, Petrosian, Korchnoi all mastered French.
Plan for White
Advance variation (3.e5) closes center and attacks queen on kingside. Winawer (3.Nc3 Bb4): trade dark bishop and play with pawn structure imbalance. Exchange (3.exd5): simplify to a structurally draw-ish position.
Plan for Black
Break Advance chain with c5 counter. Activate the bad bishop via b6-Bb7 (fianchetto plan) or trade off c8 bishop at opportunity. Long-term: minor piece endgame slightly better for Black.
Grandmaster Tier Context
T2 Club through T5 Master. French fits positional players who dislike Sicilian tactical blitz. Grandmaster coaches sometimes recommend French for T3 who complain "Sicilian is too chaotic".