French Defense

ECO C00-C19intermediate

The French Defense, 1.e4 e6 followed by 2...d5, challenges White's center immediately while keeping Black's structure rock solid. The pawn chain battles that follow are unique: White typically gains space with e5, and Black counterattacks the chain's base with ...c5 and ...f6 while seeking the famous 'good knight vs bad bishop' trades. From the sharp Winawer to the solid Tarrasch and the strategic Advance, the French teaches pawn-chain strategy better than any other opening.

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Main line

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

What a great way to begin! Your pawn marches up to e4, a light square right in the middle. Grabbing the center early gives your other pieces room to come out and play. A bold, friendly first step into the game.
Black advances the pawn one square, controlling central space and preparing for future piece development.
This is a strong, principled move. By advancing your d-pawn two squares, you immediately establish a powerful pawn center with e4 and d4. This is the standard and best response against Black's French Defense (1...e6), opening lines for your pieces.
Black moves a pawn from its home square to the middle of the board. This is a strong start because it helps control the important middle squares.
You moved your knight from b1 to c3. This is a great developing move, bringing your knight out to help control the middle of the board!
Black develops the knight from g8 to f6, contesting the center and preparing for kingside castling.
Great move! You push your pawn from e4 to e5. This helps you control more of the middle of the board.
The black knight moves from f6 to d7. It's a simple, safe move that gets the knight out of the way.
White pushes the pawn from f2 to f4. This move supports the e5 pawn and helps control the center.
Black moves a pawn from c7 to c5. It's a good, bold move that pushes the pawn forward two squares.
You move your knight from g1 to f3. This is a great developing move, getting your piece into the game and ready for action!
Black moves their knight from b8 to c6. This is a good developing move that brings the knight into the game.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	39	61.5%	5.1%	33.3%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6
600-800	26	42.3%	3.8%	53.8%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5
800-1000	87	44.8%	5.7%	49.4%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6
1000-1200	29	48.3%	0%	51.7%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6
1200-1400	2,471	46%	2%	52%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6
1400-1600	8,843	47.7%	2.7%	49.6%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6
1600-1800	2,611	47.3%	3.5%	49.1%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6
1800-2000	5,876	46.3%	3.9%	49.8%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6
2000-2200	7,765	48.5%	4.8%	46.7%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6
2200-2400	5,538	48.3%	6.1%	45.6%	1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6

Most played continuations (1400-1600 rating)

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

Be3 — played 57.7% of the time (White wins 50.9%, draws 3%, Black wins 46%)
Bb5 — played 21.5% of the time (White wins 40%, draws 2.3%, Black wins 57.8%)
Ne2 — played 5.2% of the time (White wins 51.4%, draws 1.7%, Black wins 46.9%)

Related openings

Frequently asked questions

What is the main weakness of the French Defense?

The light-squared bishop on c8, hemmed in by its own e6 pawn. Much of French strategy revolves around activating or trading it (...b6 and ...Ba6, or the ...Bd7-b5 route). In return Black gets a fundamentally sound structure and clear counterattacking targets at d4 and e5.

Which French variation should I learn first?

Start with the Advance Variation structures (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5): they appear in nearly every French game in some form, and the plans — ...c5, ...Nc6, ...Qb6 piling on d4 — are the heart of the whole defense. Then add a response to the Tarrasch (3.Nd2) and the critical 3.Nc3 main lines.

Is the Exchange French a drawing weapon?

The symmetrical structure after 3.exd5 exd5 has that reputation, but the position still contains plenty of play — opposite-side castling plans and minor-piece imbalances give the better-prepared player real chances. Black should meet it with active piece play rather than mirroring.