French Defense: the complete guide
1. e4 e6
Named after an 1834 Paris-London correspondence match, the French is the counter-siege par excellence: Black accepts a buried bishop in exchange for a fortress and the ...c5 and ...f6 counterstrikes. Botvinnik made it a world championship weapon.
How it starts, move by move
- 1. e4e4 occupies the center.
- ... e6e6 controls d5.
Both sides plans
White's plan
Grab space with d4 and, often, e5: the pawn chain smothers Black's kingside and gives a natural attack with f4-f5. The buried c8-bishop is the long-term edge.
Black's plan
The French is a counter-siege: ...d5 challenges e4, then the ...c5 and ...f6 levers gnaw at the white chain from its base. The bad c8-bishop frees itself with ...b6 and ...Ba6, or after ...f6.
What is actually played
Real shares of the continuations after 1. e4 e6, Lichess games by Elo band.
| Continuation | Elo 1400 | Elo 1600 | Elo 1800 | Elo 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2. d4 | 39 % | 45 % | 53 % | 65 % |
| 2. Nf3 | 33 % | 29 % | 24 % | 16 % |
| 2. Nc3 | 5 % | 5 % | 5 % | 5 % |
| 2. d3 | 3 % | 3 % | 3 % | 4 % |
| 2. f4 | 4 % | 6 % | 6 % | 3 % |
The main variations
- French DefenseC001. e4 e6
- Normal VariationC001. e4 e6 2. d4
- French DefenseC001. e4 e6 2. d4 d5
- Paulsen VariationC101. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3
- Winawer VariationC151. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4
- Classical VariationC111. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6
- Winawer Variation, Advance VariationC161. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5
- Classical VariationC111. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5
- Winawer Variation, Advance VariationC171. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5
- Winawer Variation, Advance VariationC171. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5
- Tarrasch VariationC031. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2
- Winawer Variation, Advance VariationC181. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5
Frequently asked questions
- What moves start the French Defense?
- The French Defense starts with 1. e4 e6. Every move is explained in the interactive explorer.
- How many named variations does the French Defense have?
- 212 named variations, from the Lichess ECO database. The main ones are listed on this page; the full tree lives in the branch map.
- What is the most played continuation?
- Around 2000 Elo, the most frequent continuation is 2. d4, played in 65% of games (Lichess data).
- How can I learn the French Defense for free?
- The explorer, free play, review cards and the essential ★1 course of the French Defense are free on OpeningMate. The ★2 to ★5 levels and per-variation courses are part of Premium.
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