French Defence — Advance
C02 · Played as white · Beginner · French
Lock the centre, take the space, and leave Black's bishop entombed
The main line
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3 Nh6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 Nf5 9.Bb2 Bd7
Strategic ideas
- Close the centre at once so Black's light-squared bishop stays buried behind e6
- Defend d4 with c3 and hold the chain — the whole game revolves around that pawn
- Gain queenside space with a3 and b4 to blunt Black's …c5 pressure
- Use the extra space for a kingside attack, since Black has no counterplay there
- Play a clear plan against the French without learning the Winawer's endless theory
Key themes
- Space — The e5-pawn cramps Black's whole position and hands White the free run of the board
- Positional — The game is a straightforward battle over the d4-pawn — no memorised tactics required
- Attack — With Black tied to the queenside, White's kingside space often turns into a direct attack
Typical plans
White closes the centre immediately and gets everything the French is supposed to deny: space, a clear plan and a permanently bad bishop for Black on c8. The whole game becomes a fight over d4. Black hits it with …c5, …Nc6 and …Qb6; White props it up with c3, Be2 and Nf3, and if the chain holds, the space advantage does the rest. It's the most practical anti-French line there is — one plan, easy to learn, and it avoids the Winawer entirely.
Move by move
- e4 — White claims the centre.
- e6 — Black plays the French, preparing …d5.
- d4 — White builds the ideal centre.
- d5 — Black strikes at e4.
- e5 — White pushes past. The centre is closed, White has a big space edge, and Black's c8-bishop is stuck behind its own pawn on e6 — the French player's eternal problem.
- c5 — Black hits the base of the chain immediately. Everything in this opening is about d4.
- c3 — White props up d4 with the pawn, the standard reinforcement.
- Nc6 — Black adds a second attacker to d4.
- Nf3 — White develops and adds a third defender to d4.
- Qb6 — Black brings the queen out to hit d4 a third time — and eye b2 while it's there.
- a3 — White prepares b4 to gain queenside space and drive the c5-pawn away.
- Nh6 — Black develops the knight to h6, heading for f5 to hit d4 yet again. It goes here rather than f6 because e5 has that square covered.
- b4 — White gains space and asks Black to resolve the tension.
- cxd4 — Black takes, deciding the centre must be clarified.
- cxd4 — White recaptures, keeping the chain intact and gaining even more space.
- Nf5 — Black lands the knight on f5, where it hits d4 and blockades.
- Bb2 — White develops the bishop to the long diagonal, defending d4 from behind.
- Bd7 — Black develops, planning …Bb5 to finally solve the problem bishop. White has space and a free hand on the kingside; Black has the pressure on d4 and a plan for the bad bishop.