Introduction to the French Defense ⎸Chess Openings

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The French Defense is one of the deadliest weapons players with black have against 1.e4

The opening starts (ECO codes C00-C19) after the moves:

1.e4 e6 – This is now the French. The second move is almost forced for both sides:
2.d4 d5 (white has been known to avoid the move 2.d4 with 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2, which will most likely transpose into the King’s Indian Attack, but d4 is played in over 95% of games starting with 1.e4 e6)

From this position on white has four main ways to continue:

06:54 3.Nc3 Paulsen Variation C10

Black can respond to the Paulsen French with:
07:21 3...Bb4 Winawer C15 (this one of the most popular variations of the French Defense, especially thanks to the Soviet school of chess which helped develop the theory in the 1940es)
10:04 3...Nf6 Classical C11
4.Bg5 Burn Variation C11
4.e5 Steinitz Variation C11
12:17 3...dxe4 Rubinstein Variation C10
13:00 3...Nc6 (continuing the Paulsen) C10

13:40 3.Nd2 Tarrasch Variation C03 (the Tarrasch became popular in the 70-es and 80-es thanks mainly to Anatoly Karpov who would use it more often than any other variation)
3...Nf6 Closed Variation C05
17:28 3...c5 Tarrasch Open System C07
3...dxe4 (continuing the Tarrasch) C03

18:59 3.e5 Advance Variation C02

19:39 3.exd5 Exchange Variation C01

If you’d like to study the French Defense, the best way to do so is to study the players who use it against e4. Among the first to employ the opening was the great Géza Maróczy (whom the Maróczy bind was named after). The theory was developed in the 20th century and some of the biggest contributors were Mikhail Botvinnik, Viktor Korchnoi, Aaron Nimzowitsch, Tigran Petrosian and Anatoly Karpov. Their games should be studied in order to understand the principles of the French.

Modern players whose games you should study in detail to understand the modern theory: Gata Kamsky, Varuzhan Akobian, Teimour Radjabov, Alexander Morozevich, Alexey Dreev and Simon Williams.

Видео Introduction to the French Defense ⎸Chess Openings канала Hanging Pawns