1. e4 e6

In previous chess opening headers, I’ve talked only about “double king pawn” openings: those that begin with 1. e4 e5. There are good reasons for black to respond to white’s two-square advance of the king’s pawn with their own two-square advance of the king’s pawn. It attacks the d4 square, denying white a strong pawn centre, and it makes room for the development of the king’s bishop. But black also has a number of non-symmetrical replies available to 1. e4. Today we’ll look at one of those options: the French Defence.

With 1… e6, black does not try to prevent white from playing 2. d4 and establishing a two-pawn centre. Instead, black’s plan is to play 2… d5, creating a solid defensive position, with the e6-pawn defending the d5-pawn. Black is not seeking to counterattack, nor to maintain a balance with white, but instead to set up a “strong point” defence that will be difficult for white to crack open.

The drawback to this approach is that black must make do with a cramped position. Notice that the pawn on e6 blocks black’s queen’s bishop. Black’s attacking chances are limited; in that sense, the French is truly a defence, and it is well suited for players who are willing to patiently defend and build a solid position.

White has several options as to how to play against the French. In the 19th century, Howard Staunton favored the Exchange Variation, 3. exd5 exd5, negating black’s solid pawn formation but also freeing up black’s bishop. This soon fell out of fashion, as it gives up white’s chief advantage. The Advance Variation, 3. e5, was favored by Aron Nimzowitsch. Other popular lines begin with 3. Nc3 or 3. Nd2.

The French Defence remains one of the most frequently played responses to white’s 1. e4, along with the classical 1… e5 and the Sicilian Defence, 1… c5, which we’ll look at next time.