- The moves1. e4 e6
- Chosen byBlack
- ECOC00–C19
The French Defense comes after 1.e4 e6, almost always followed by 2.d4 d5. Black attacks the pawn on e4 at once, and White has to choose: protect it, push past with e5, or trade. The position is often closed, with two pawn chains pointing at each other.
The name comes from a correspondence match between London and Paris in 1834, where the player Jacques Chamouillet persuaded his teammates in Paris to choose the defense. Wilhelm Steinitz, the first world champion, said he had never played it and called it “the dullest of all openings.” Even so, generations of strong players have trusted it, from Géza Maróczy in the early 1900s to Mikhail Botvinnik and Viktor Korchnoi.
The main line, move by move
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. a3 c4 7. Nbd2 Na5 8. Rb1 Bd7
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The ideas
White wants to
- Use the space on the kingside. The pawn on e5 takes the f6 square from Black's knight, and without a knight there, h7 is harder to defend.
- Support the chain with c3 and Nf3, and sometimes play f4–f5 to break up Black's position.
- Make life hard for Black's bishop on c8, the “French bishop.”
Black wants to
- Attack the base of the chain with …c5, and if needed the head with …f6.
- Play on the queenside, where Black has more space, often with …Qb6 against d4 and b2.
- Find a good square for the bishop on c8, for example via d7 to a4 or b5.
Important variations
Winawer Variation: 3.Nc3 Bb4
The bishop pins the knight on c3, and White has to resolve the tension in the center. The line is named after Szymon Winawer and was developed by Aron Nimzowitsch and Mikhail Botvinnik. After 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 White gets doubled pawns but also the bishop pair and a strong center. Black has traded off the dark-squared bishop, so the kingside is weak. It gets sharp.
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4
3… Bb4
The Winawer Variation. The knight is pinned and e4 becomes weaker.
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Tarrasch Variation: 3.Nd2
Named after Siegbert Tarrasch, and popular in the 1970s and 1980s when Anatoly Karpov played it. The knight on d2 doesn't block the c-pawn, so White can support the center with c3, and the Winawer doesn't work: 3…Bb4 is met by 4.c3. After 3…c5 4.exd5 exd5, Black often gets an isolated queen's pawn.
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Ngf3 Nc6 6. Bb5
3. Nd2
The Tarrasch Variation. The knight protects e4 without blocking the c-pawn.
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Exchange Variation: 3.exd5
White trades at once. The pawn structure becomes symmetrical, and Black's bishop on c8 escapes from its prison. Howard Staunton recommended the line in the 1800s, but it has a reputation for giving Black easy equality. It suits players who want to avoid theory, but those who want to win with White usually choose something else.
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Bd3 Bd6
How it goes in real games
How the games ended once the position had come up on the board, in blitz, rapid and classical games. White wins, draws and Black wins, as a percentage of the games.
| Position | Level | Games | White wins | Draw | Black wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Defense 1. e4 e6 | Club players | 172,695,532 | 48% | 5% | 47% |
| Beginners | 108,803,509 | 48% | 4% | 48% | |
| French Defense, main line 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. a3 c4 7. Nbd2 Na5 8. Rb1 Bd7 | Club players | 26,691 | 48% | 6% | 46% |
| Beginners | 375 | 50% | 5% | 46% | |
| Winawer Variation: 3.Nc3 Bb4 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 | Club players | 323,581 | 45% | 5% | 49% |
| Beginners | 2,071 | 51% | 4% | 45% | |
| Tarrasch Variation: 3.Nd2 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Ngf3 Nc6 6. Bb5 | Club players | 167,185 | 54% | 7% | 39% |
| Beginners | 8,893 | 60% | 3% | 36% |
The most common continuations after 1. e4 e6
Club players, share of the games in the position.
- 2.d4 53% (91,773,073 games)
- 2.Nf3 24% (41,343,527 games)
- 2.f4 5% (8,696,647 games)
- 2.Nc3 5% (8,336,124 games)
- 2.Bc4 3% (5,475,203 games)
Source: games on Lichess, fetched October 28, 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, beginners games where they average 1000–1599.
Is this opening for you?
The French Defense suits players who like to defend stubbornly and strike back at the right moment. Black is often a little cramped at first, but the position is solid and the plans are clear: attack the pawn chain.
It is also a good opening for learning strategy. Pawn chains, bad bishops and pawn breaks turn up in almost every game. If you play the French, you learn to understand pawn structures.
A famous game
Frank Marshall played the French with Black in the Gold Coins Game of 1912. The Gold Coins Game
Practice the main line
Choose a color and one of the house players. Your opponent follows the main line, and you try to find your moves. If you play something else, you'll see the main line's move, but the game goes on. When the main line ends, you play freely.
Rather play freely? Choose an opponent · Play right away
The main line with all the comments as text
1. e4 e6 The French Defense. Black prepares …d5 and keeps everything tight. The drawback shows at once: the bishop on c8 is shut in behind the pawn on e6. 2. d4 d5 Black attacks e4. White has to decide. 3. e5 The Advance Variation. White takes space and builds a pawn chain, d4 and e5. Aron Nimzowitsch thought it was White's best move. 3… c5 The typical French move: Black attacks the base of the chain, the pawn on d4. 4. c3 White supports d4 with a pawn. 4… Nc6 Another piece against d4. 5. Nf3 And another defender. 5… Qb6 The queen adds to the pressure on d4 and attacks b2 at the same time. That is why White's bishop on c1 can't easily protect d4 from e3. 6. a3 White prepares b4 to gain space on the queenside. 6… c4 Black closes the queenside. If White plays b4, Black can capture en passant. 7. Nbd2 The knight is aiming for b3. 7… Na5 Black takes control of b3. 8. Rb1 The rook prepares b4. 8… Bd7 Black has a firm grip on b3 and at last develops the awkward bishop.
More openings
Caro-Kann Defense
1…c6 and 2…d5. As stable as the French, but the bishop on c8 gets out.
Sicilian Defense
1…c5 breaks the symmetry at once. Combative, sharp and loved by Fischer and Kasparov.
Scandinavian Defense
1…d5 at once. Black forces an open game from the first move.
Alekhine Defense
1…Nf6 lures White's pawns forward to attack them later. Provocative and hypermodern.
Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess.
Updated November 6, 2026
1… e6
The French Defense. Black prepares …d5 and keeps everything tight. The drawback shows at once: the bishop on c8 is shut in behind the pawn on e6.