French Defence

French Defence
abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
b8 black knight
c8 black bishop
d8 black queen
e8 black king
f8 black bishop
g8 black knight
h8 black rook
a7 black pawn
b7 black pawn
c7 black pawn
d7 black pawn
f7 black pawn
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
e6 black pawn
e4 white pawn
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
c2 white pawn
d2 white pawn
f2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
b1 white knight
c1 white bishop
d1 white queen
e1 white king
f1 white bishop
g1 white knight
h1 white rook
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Moves1.e4 e6
ECOC00–C19
Named afterLondon vs. Paris correspondence match (1834–1836)[1]
ParentKing's Pawn Game

The French Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:

1. e4 e6

This is most commonly followed by 2.d4 d5. Black usually plays ...c5 soon after, attacking White's pawn centre and gaining space on the queenside.[2] The French has a reputation for solidity and resilience, although some lines such as the Winawer Variation can lead to sharp complications. Black's position is often somewhat cramped in the early game; in particular, the pawn on e6 can impede the development of the bishop on c8.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference London–Paris was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Petrov, Marian. "French Defense - A Complete Guide for Beginners". chessklub.com.
  3. ^ Vitiugov, Nikita (2010). The French Defence: A Complete Black Repertoire. Chess Stars. p. 7.