Keep It Simple With The Tried And Tested French Defense

The French Defense is one of chess’s most solid and resilient openings.

It all begins with Black meeting the King’s Pawn Opening (1. e4) with a move that may seem a little odd at first: 1. … e6.

By advancing the e-pawn one square rather than two, Black intends to play 2. …d5 next, staking a claim in the center of the board in a different way than the direct Symmetrical King’s Pawn opening (1. …e5).

Those who enjoy chess history may be interested to know that the name “French Defense” originated with a correspondence match played between the London and Paris chess clubs, all the way back in 1834. The Parisian club, playing with the Black pieces, started the game with this move and it turned out to be the Londoners undoing. At the time, 1. …e6 was rather unusual, and scribes throughout the chess world began referring to the move as the “French”.

Why Play The French Defense?

Here are three reasons why the French Defense might be right for you:

Simple To Learn

The French Defense is relatively light on opening theory. If you don’t have the time or inclination to spend countless hours studying critical lines (which is absolutely necessary if you were instead to play an alternative opening such as the Sicilian Defense), then the French is a great choice. As long as you know the general ideas and pawn breaks to aim for, you will be able to play the French to a pretty good level without needing to commit a lot to memory.

Played Successfully At The Top Level

Unlike some of the more tricky gambits which are rarely played at grandmaster level, the French is a frequent guest at top chess tournaments. You can easily find many examples of recent games in the French played at the highest level. You aren’t relying on tricks with the French Defense - it is objectively a very good way for Black to start the game!

Tough To Break Down

For many 1. e4 players, facing a well-prepared French Defense player is one of their biggest headaches. White’s play relies heavily on getting a successful kingside attack - but if Black is able to parlay their threats and trade pieces, then White is left rather frustrated and without a clear plan. Meanwhile, Black’s play gains in strength the longer the game goes on, having generally better endgame prospects.

Main Ideas In The French Defense

Broadly speaking, there are three main pawn structures Black should be aware of when playing the French Defense:

Exchange French

If White captures with exd5, then after Black takes back with exd5, then we get a symmetrical pawn structure.

This line is known to be rather drawish and difficult for either side to formulate specific plans around, due to the lack of imbalances.

Suffice to say that Black has easy equality out of the opening, which is already a small victory when starting the game without the first-mover advantage. If there is to be a decisive result in the Exchange French, it will likely go to the player with the better middlegame understanding.

Closed French

Where White to pushes ahead with e5. This may happen on move 3 (the “Advance French”), or a little later when Black invites White to make this pawn advance with tempo by playing Nf6.

With the White pawn on e5, each side will play on opposite wings. Black will play the key c5 pawn break and play on the queenside, while White may look to play f4 and advance their agenda on the kingside.

The light-squared bishop is Black’s problem piece - being rather stuck behind its own pawn on e6. If Black can ever swap it off (especially for White’s light-squared bishop) then Black’s life becomes much easier.

A word of warning: the Closed French is one of the most common openings where the Greek Gift sacrifice can be fully justified. This is where White sacrifices their light-squared bishop on h7 to gain a winning attack. The careful French Defense player can avoid falling foul of this, but it is definitely something to be aware of!

Open French

Encapsulating the “Rubinstein Variation” and similar lines, where there is an alternative pawn capture in the center. In the diagram, an Open French is reached after Black plays dxe4, rather than allowing White to push ahead with e5.

Pressure Against d4 And The g2-a7 Diagonal using the French Defense

Like in the Closed French, the c5 pawn break is still something Black should generally aim for, and Black’s play should still be on the queenside. The problematic light-squared bishop may be able to find a home on b7 in many cases.

White can still try to go for a kingside attack in the Open French, but to do so White may need to castle queenside. An opposite-castle position gives Black attacking chances of their own.

French Defense: Thematic Tactics and Plans

Although we began this article by calling the French Defense “solid” and “resilient”, tactics can definitely still appear!

There are certain tactical motifs which occur repeatedly in the French Defense. Knowing about them will be very useful to improve your chances of spotting them and taking advantage of them when they arise in your own games.

Here are a few common tactical ideas for Black to get started with:

Pressure Against d4 And The g2-a7 Diagonal

After Black plays the thematic pawn break c5 and initiates a trade on d4 with cxd4, White’s d4 pawn becomes a backward pawn that Black can target with moves like Nc6 and Qb6.

White will of course try to defend their weak d4 pawn, but this can create its own problems if they are careless. For example, in the diagramed position, White has tried Be3 to defend d4, but this allows Black the possibility of Nxe5! The point is, White cannot recapture with dxe5, because then Black would play Qxe3+. It is well worth watching out for this!

The Rxf3 Exchange Sacrifice

In the Closed French, Black often plays f6 at some point, opening the f-file for the f8 rook. In a position such as the one shown below, it is worth noting how important the White knight on f3 is - in particular, it is responsible for safeguarding the d4 pawn. Because of how vital this knight is for White, Black should strongly consider the exchange sacrifice Rxf3!

With this capture, Black ruins White’s kingside pawn structure (because White must recapture with gxf3), and also scoops up the White d4 pawn after Nxd4 next move - establishing total dominance in the center. Black does not have a way of regaining the material immediately, but in a position like this, the long-term advantages Black secures are more than enough to justify the exchange sacrifice.

Attacking The Weak f2 Pawn

In Open French Defense positions, White may try to be super-aggressive, attempting to take advantage of their faster development. With moves like Re1 to create a pin along the e-file, and Ng5 to target the bishop blocking it, White wants to destroy Black’s position before Black is able to castle.

Related: The French Defense Move by Move.

However, in the position below White has become too enamored with their own plans and blundered a simple tactic, starting with Bxf2+! After Kxf2, Black has the follow-up Qb6+, which regains the piece with a fork, due to the hanging position of White’s bishop on b5. The lesson: be on the lookout for opportunities against f2, especially when White moves their rook away from f1.

Attacking The Weak f2 Pawn using the French Defense.

Getting Started With The French Defense

The next step in playing the French Defense is to further your education, learning more of the opening ideas for both White and Black. An excellent place to start is this free chessable course from Bryan Tillis. After just over 1 hour of video instruction, you will know enough about the French to start playing it and get some practical experience.

Once you have done that, try the French Defense in your online games. Playing with blitz time controls will allow you to play lots of games very quickly. There is also not too much at stake when playing blitz - meaning you aren’t risking your hard-earned rating in an opening which you are still new to. This will give you a practical feeling for the French Defense, what White typically does in reply to it, and the style of games it leads to. Don’t forget to review your games afterwards in order to learn the most from the experience!

If you are really serious about learning the French Defense, then you will want to go into greater depth. To take your understanding to the next level, GM Nicholas Pert offers this 7 hour video training course, powered by Chessbase, and available from the USCF store.

Getting this kind of grandmaster-level instruction will leave you in the best possible place to play the French Defense with maximum success!

Summary: Is The French Defense Right For You?

The French Defense can be a great addition to your Black opening repertoire if you:

Enjoy endgames. White is usually the one who gets better direct attacking chances against the enemy king, whereas Black’s prospects generally improve as more and more pieces leave the board. Therefore, Black is usually aiming for an endgame. If the French is to become one of your main weapons, you should be the sort of player who relishes the endgame grind.
Are comfortable with positional maneuvering. The French Defense player cannot usually win with tactical shots early in the game. Instead, they must improve their pieces slowly - building pressure slowly rather than relying on fireworks.
Can be adaptable. White has many ways of meeting the French Defense. Your opponent might castle kingside, castle queenside, or not castle at all. The French Defense player cannot expect to be able to follow a “script” - they must be watchful of what their opponent is doing in each individual game and respond accordingly.

Does that seem like the way you want to play chess? If so, then we encourage you to give the French Defense a try!

Bonne chance! (Good luck!)