C00-C19

French Defense

212 named lines in this family, ECO C00-C19. Every one of them opens 1. e4 e6, so the notes on those moves are written once, just below, instead of once per line. Under each line you get its moves and the sentences it adds that this page has not already printed; sixty lines to a page. A line's own page carries up to its first 4 per-move notes in full.

The moves every line here plays

1. e4 e6

• 1. e4 Stakes a claim in the centre, controlling d5, and frees the bishop and queen.
• 1... e6 Supports the centre, adding control of d5. Theory calls this the French Defense.

Advance Variation, Ruisdonk GambitC02

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. Nf3 cxd4 5. Bd3

An early pawn trade leaves the c-file as Black's avenue and the d-file as White's - both sides get real winning chances down their own file. Black keeps the extra pawn; White plays for time, open lines, and initiative - the classic gambit trade. e5 gains space and shuts in Black's king's bishop.

• 2. d4 Stakes a claim in the centre, controlling e5, and frees the bishop and queen.
• 2... d5 Stakes a claim in the centre, controlling e4, and frees the bishop and queen.

Advance Variation, Euwe VariationC02

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bd7

e5 gains space and shuts in Black's king's bishop; the whole game revolves around the d4 point - Black piles on it with ...c5 and ...Nc6; White defends it with c3.

Advance Variation, Wade VariationC02

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Qb6 5. Nf3 Bd7

Advance Variation, Main LineC02

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. a3

Advance Variation, Milner-Barry GambitC02

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3

Advance Variation, Lputian VariationC02

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. a3 Nh6

Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Hector Variation, through 7. O-OC02

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. O-O

e5 gains space and shuts in Black's king's bishop; White defends it with c3.

Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Hector Variation, after 7... Bd7C02

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. O-O Bd7 8. Re1

Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Main LineC02

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7 8. O-O

The c-file is fully open.

Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Sørensen VariationC02

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7 8. O-O Nxd4 9. Ng5

The structure hands White the half-open d-file - rook pressure down it is a standing plan.

Tarrasch VariationC03

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2

The pawns on d5 and e4 stand in direct tension - the first player to resolve it chooses the structure. Nd2 sidesteps the Winawer pin and keeps the pawn front intact: White accepts a modest centre in exchange for a sound, theory-light edge.

Tarrasch Variation, Guimard DefenseC03

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6

Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz VariationC03

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 f5

Tarrasch Variation, Modern SystemC03

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 a6

Tarrasch Variation, Morozevich VariationC03

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Be7

Tarrasch Variation, Guimard Defense, Thunderbunny VariationC03

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. c3 dxe4 5. Nxe4 e5

An early pawn trade leaves the d-file as Black's avenue and the e-file as White's - both sides get real winning chances down their own file.

Tarrasch Variation, Guimard Defense, Main LineC04

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. Ngf3 Nf6

Tarrasch Variation, Closed Variation, through 3... Nf6C05

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6

Tarrasch Variation, Pawn Center VariationC05

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4

Tarrasch Variation, Botvinnik VariationC05

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 b6

Tarrasch Variation, Closed Variation, after 4. e5C05

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6

Tarrasch Variation, Closed Variation, Main LineC06

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ne2 cxd4 8. cxd4

Tarrasch Variation, Leningrad VariationC06

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ne2 cxd4 8. cxd4 Nb6

Tarrasch Variation, Open System, through 3... c5C07

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5

Tarrasch Variation, Open System, Euwe-Keres LineC07

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. Ngf3

Tarrasch Variation, Open System, Süchting LineC07

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. c3

Tarrasch Variation, Chistyakov DefenseC07

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 Qxd5

Tarrasch Variation, Open System, Shaposhnikov GambitC07

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 Nf6

White is up material out of the opening - Black is banking on activity to show for it.

Tarrasch Variation, Eliskases VariationC07

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. Ngf3 cxd4 6. Bc4 Qd8

Black comes out ahead on material - White needs concrete play to justify it.

Tarrasch Variation, Chistyakov Defense, Modern LineC07

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. Ngf3 cxd4 6. Bc4 Qd6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Nb3 Nc6 9. Nbxd4 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 a6

An early pawn trade leaves the c-file as Black's avenue and the e-file as White's - both sides get real winning chances down their own file.

Tarrasch Variation, Open System, after 4. exd5C08

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 exd5

The e-file is fully open.

Tarrasch Variation, Open System, Advance LineC08

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Ngf3 c4

Tarrasch Variation, Open System, Main Line, through 5... Nc6C09

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Ngf3 Nc6

Tarrasch Variation, Open System, Main Line, after 6. Bb5C09

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Ngf3 Nc6 6. Bb5 Bd6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. O-O Ne7 9. c3

Paulsen VariationC10

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3

...e6 and ...d5 build a pawn wall that concedes space but never weakness: Black hits the white centre with ...c5 and later ...f6 while the light-squared bishop waits for its moment.

Hecht-Reefschläger VariationC10

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nc6

Marshall GambitC10

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 c5

Rubinstein VariationC10

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4

Black has doubled pawns on the e-file.

Rubinstein Variation, Blackburne DefenseC10

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7

Rubinstein Variation, Ellis GambitC10

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 e5

Rubinstein Variation, Maric VariationC10

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Qd5

Rubinstein Variation, Fort Knox VariationC10

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bd7 5. Nf3 Bc6

Rubinstein Variation, Capablanca LineC10

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. Ne5

Rubinstein Variation, Kasparov AttackC10

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. c3

Classical Variation, after 3... Nf6, through 3... Nf6C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6

...Nf6 pressures e4 directly and asks White to commit: e5 gains space but fixes a target, exchanges free Black's cramped game.

Classical Variation, after 3... Nf6, through 4. Bg5C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5

Classical Variation, Delayed Exchange VariationC11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. exd5

White has doubled pawns on the d-file.

Classical Variation, Steinitz Variation, after 4. e5C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5

Classical Variation, Swiss VariationC11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bd3

Henneberger VariationC11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Be3

Classical Variation, Burn VariationC11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4

Classical Variation, Shirov-Anand VariationC11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Nce2

Steinitz Variation, Gledhill AttackC11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Qg4

Steinitz Variation, after 3... a6, through 5... Nfd7C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 a6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7

Steinitz Variation, after 3... a6, through 6. a3C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 a6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7 6. a3

Steinitz Variation, after 3... a6, through 6. Ne2C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 a6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Ne2

Steinitz Variation, after 3... Nf6, through 6. Nf3C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3

Classical Variation, Burn Variation, Morozevich LineC11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Bxf6 gxf6

Black has doubled pawns on the f-file.

Steinitz Variation, after 3... Nf6, through 6... Nc6C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. dxc5 Nc6

Steinitz Variation, Boleslavsky VariationC11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3

Lines 61–120 of 212 — page 2 of 4.

Walk these lines on a board

An account opens every move's note in this family, the plan behind each line, and a trainer that plays the line back at you. It is free.

Create account All families