French Defense
The French Defense is a solid, strategic opening that leads to rich positional battles. Black immediately challenges White's central pawn and creates a complex pawn structure.
Available Lines
After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3, Black plays 3...Bb4, the Winawer Variation. This move pins White's knight and creates active piece play. Black aims to disrupt White's development and create tactical opportunities while maintaining a solid pawn structure. The Winawer is one of the most complex and theoretical lines of the French Defense.
After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5, Black plays 4...Bb4, the MacCutcheon Variation. This move pins White's knight and creates active piece play, similar to the Winawer but with a different move order. Black aims to disrupt White's development and create tactical opportunities while maintaining flexibility.
After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.h4, White plays the Alekhine-Chatard Attack, sacrificing the h-pawn for rapid development and attacking chances. This aggressive approach, named after Alexander Alekhine and Eugène Chatard, aims to create immediate pressure on Black's kingside and gain the initiative through active piece play.