The French, 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5, fights for the centre at once and often leads to a closed pawn chain after e5. Black accepts a cramped light-squared bishop in exchange for counterplay against the base of White’s chain with ...c5 and ...f6.
Key ideas
1Attack the base of the pawn chain: ...c5 against d4, and later ...f6 against e5.
2The queen goes to b6 to pile up on d4; the knight comes to c6 for the same reason.
3The c8 bishop is the "problem piece": plan to trade it or bring it to a6 or d7–b5.
4In the Winawer, Black gives up the bishop pair to damage White’s queen-side pawns.
5If White exchanges on d5, develop actively and use the open e-file.
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The French gives Black a plan on move two and asks for patience to carry it out. After 1...e6 and 2...d5 White has to decide what to do with e4, and the most common answer, e5, creates the pawn chain that defines the opening: White's pawns on d4 and e5, Black's on d5 and e6, and a fight over d4.
What you will learn
01Attack the base of the chain with ...c5, ...Nc6 and ...Qb6, and later the e5 pawn with ...f6.
02Play the Winawer ...Bb4 and know what you get for the bishop pair: a damaged White queen side.
03Meet the Tarrasch 3.Nd2 with ...c5 and the Exchange 3.exd5 with active development.
The main line
The Advance line runs 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3 Nh6 7.b4 cxd4. White pushes past d5 and gains space on the king side; in return the d4 pawn becomes the base of the chain and Black attacks it with everything that can reach it: ...c5, ...Nc6 and ...Qb6, which also eyes b2.
6.a3 prepares b4 to drive the c5 pawn away, and 6...Nh6 is the move that looks odd and is not: f6 is not available with a White pawn on e5, and from h6 the knight heads for f5, where it hits d4 again. Black takes on d4 only when 7.b4 forces it.
Beginners lose French games in two ways. They release the tension with ...cxd4 too early, which opens c3 for the knight and eases the pressure on d4. And they forget the c8 bishop; it needs a plan, usually ...Bd7 and ...Bb5, or it sits on c8 all game.
How to practise it
Learn the Advance line and say what each Black move does to d4. Drill it as Black with care at move six, where ...Nh6 is easy to forget. Then take the Winawer, the sharpest of the four. The Tarrasch and Exchange lines come round on their review dates in Pro.
It suits a beginner who likes a plan more than tactics. The pawn chain tells you what to attack, but the cramped bishop takes getting used to.
What is the main line of the French?
Against 3.e5, 3...c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3 Nh6 7.b4 cxd4 is the Advance line on this page. 3.Nc3 Bb4 is the Winawer, 3.Nd2 c5 the Tarrasch and 3.exd5 exd5 the Exchange.