French Defence

The French Defence is a chess opening the. The sequence of moves is one of the half- open games and is classified in the ECO codes C00 to C19 under the keys.

The basic position of the French Defense arises after the moves:

1 e2- e4 e7 - e6

Naming

The naming of the French Defence dates from 1834. In the middle of a contest in correspondence chess between a London team and one from Paris, the French responded to the opening move 1 e2- e4, made ​​the Londoners, with the first train ... e7 e6 and won the game.

Main variants

The main variants of the French defense count after

2 d2 -d4 d7 -d5

• Advance Variation: 3 e4 e5
• Exchange Variation: 3 e4xd5 e6xd5
• Classical system: 3 Nb1 - c3 Ng8 - f6 Variant: 4 Lc1 - g5 Bf8 e7 - e5 - e4 Nf6 5 - d7 6 Lg5xe7 Dd8xe7
• Alekhine - Chatard Attack: 4 Lc1 - g5 Bf8 e7 - e5 - e4 Nf6 5 - d7 6 h2 - h4, a sharp gambit variant.
• MacCutcheon variant: 4 Lc1 - g5 Bf8 - b4: This variant is after the game strong amateur John Lindsay McCutcheon (* May 28, 1857; † July 17, 1905 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is designated, the first time in a simultaneous game against this move order Wilhelm Steinitz played in New York in 1885.
• Steinitz Variation: 4 e4 e5

• Tarrasch Variation: 3 Nb1 -d2

Rarer Abspiele

• Pike Reefschläger variant: 3 Nb1 - c3 - c6 Sb8 This variant is named after Hans -Joachim Hecht and Helmut Reefschläger. Previously, she was already tried by Pál Benkő.
• Franco - Benoni results after 2 d2 -d4 c7 - c5 3 d4 -d5
• Franco - Polish: 2 d2 -d4 b7 - b5? 3 Lf1xb5 Bc8 - b7 4 f2 -f3 Qd8 - h4 5 g2 - g3 - h5 Dh4
• " Kingston Defence": 2 d2 -d4 f7 - f5?
• The "Mediterranean Defense" 2 d2 -d4 Ng8 - f6! after 3 e4 e5 -d5 Nf6 4 f3 - Sg1 an insignificant variation of the Alekhine Defence
• King 's Indian Attack: 2 d2 -d3 d7 -d5 3 Nb1 -d2
• The Chigorin Variation 2 Dd1 - e2 is similar to the King 's Indian Attack.
• The Réti Gambit intended after 2 b2 -b3 d7 -d5 3 Lc1 - b2 3 .. 4 d5xe4 with Nb1 - c3 continue Ng8 - f6 5 Dd1 - e2 or g2 - g4 5.
• The Alapin Diemer Gambit: 2 d2 -d4 d7 -d5 3 Lc1 -e3? (named after Simon and Emil Joseph Diemer Alapin )
• And the Diemer - Duhm Gambit 2 d2 -d4 d7 -d5 3 c2 c4? are in the spirit of the Blackmar - Diemer Gambit.
• The French Wing Gambit 2 Sg1 -f3 d7 -d5 3 e4 e5 c7 - c5 4 b2- b4 c5xb4 is related to the Advance Variation. After 5 d2 -d4 Black can a ball of his characters on the kingside by 5 ... Ng8 - e7 plus Ne7 - c6, avoid Sb8 - d7. After 5 a2 -a3 black can by Qd8 - a5 prepare for a battle of his bishop c8 via Bd7 - b5.
• After 3 Nb1 - c3 c7 - c5 was? a favorite train Marshalls for black, because of the 4 e4xd5! e6xd5 5 d4xc5 d5 -d4 6 Lf1 - b5 ! Sb8 - c6 7 Lb5xc6 b7xc6 8 Nc3 - e2 Lf8xc5 9 Sg1 -f3 Bc5 - b4 10 Lc1 -d2 Lb4xd2 c6 - c5 12 11 Dd1xd2 0-0-0 Ng8 - f6 13 Dd2 - g5 with dual attack is not played on c5 and g7.

Importance

By the middle of the 19th century was the French defense (as well as today most played opening, the Sicilian Defence ) as inferior, and in the eyes of many chess players only an attempt to even then extensive jungle variant of the Open Games by 1 e2 -e4 ​​e7 - e5 to go out of the way. A chess opening textbook by Paul Rudolph of Bilguer from 1843 already describes first opening moves within the French defense. In the variants after 1 e2- e4 e7 - e6 2 d2 -d4 d7 -d5 but only two possibilities continuation of the White players were listed, 3 e4xd5 or e4 e5. The one who first anwandte the train 3 Nb1 - c3 later, according to Geza Maroczy was the German master Louis Paulsen.

Meanwhile, the French defense for some time after 1 ... c7 - c5 ( Sicilian Defence ) and 1 ... e7 - e5 ( Open Games ) before the Caro-Kann opening is the third most common answer to the most frequently played opening move 1 e2 -e4.

Famous chess players who play the French defense with the black pieces or playing, are Ulf Andersson, Mikhail Botvinnik, David Bronstein, Viktor Korchnoi, Tigran Petrosian, Nigel Short Jan Timman, Wolfgang Uhlmann, Rafael Vaganian, Robert Hübner, Mikhail Gurevich, Alexei Drejew.