As Black
French Defence
The French Defence is a chess opening for Black that starts with 1.e4 e6.
...e6 and ...d5 to attack e4. A solid structure: Black often counterattacks with ...c5 against White's pawn chain.
Reviewed on November 6, 2026 · Prepared by Josep Serrano Ballestero
Basic · Elo 400 – 600
Opponent's mistake · 4.Nxd4
1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 d4 4.Nxd4 Qxd4
Knight Variation · 3...exd5 4.Qe2+
1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Qe2+ Be7 5.d4 Nf6
Knight Variation · 3...c5 4.Bb5+
1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Bb5+ Nc6 5.Bxc6+ bxc6
Exchange Variation · 3...exd5 4.Nc3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bd6
Exchange Variation · 3...exd5 4.Qe2+
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Qe2+ Be7 5.Nc3 Nf6
Advance Variation, Nimzowitsch System · 2...d5 3.e5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6
Exchange Variation · 3...exd5 4.d4
1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bd6 6.Bg5 c6 7.Bd3 h6
Classical Variation, Steinitz Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Nf3 c5 6.Bb5 Nc6
Advance Variation, Nimzowitsch System · 3...c5 4.d4
1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.d4 Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7
Intermediate · Elo 1000 – 1200
Opponent's mistake · 4.Nxd4
1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 d4 4.Nxd4 Qxd4
Advance Variation, Paulsen Attack · 5...Qb6 6.Be3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Be3 Qxb2 7.Nbd2 c4 8.Be2 Qxc3
Knight Variation
1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Bb5+ Nc6 5.Bxc6+ bxc6
Exchange Variation, Svenonius Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bg5 Be7 6.Nf3 O-O
Exchange Variation · 3...exd5 4.Nf3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bd6 6.Bg5 c6
Advance Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6
Advance Variation, Nimzowitsch System
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6
Exchange Variation · 4...Nf6 5.Nf3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bd6 6.Bg5 c6 7.Bd3 h6
Advance Variation, Paulsen Attack · 3...c5 4.c3
1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.d4 Qb6 6.Be2 cxd4
Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Main Line
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 Bd7
Advanced · Elo 1200 – 1400
Steinitz Variation, Boleslavsky Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Qb6 9.Qd2 Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qa3 11.Bb5 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 a6 13.Bxd7+ Bxd7
Exchange Variation, Monte Carlo Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Nf3 O-O 7.Be2 dxc4
Classical Variation, Steinitz Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Nf3 c5 6.dxc5 Bxc5
Wing Gambit
1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4 cxb4 5.a3 bxa3 6.d4 Nc6
Advance Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6 7.Nf3 Ne7
Exchange Variation · 3...exd5 4.Bd3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bd3 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bd6 6.O-O O-O 7.Bg5 h6
Advance Variation, Main Line
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Nh6
Exchange Variation · 2...d5 3.exd5
1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bd6 6.Bg5 c6 7.Bd3 h6
Advance Variation, Paulsen Attack
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Be2 cxd4 7.cxd4 Nh6
Alekhine-Chatard Attack
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.h4 h6 7.Bxe7 Qxe7
Frequently asked questions
Is the French Defence good for beginners?
Yes. On OpeningCraft you learn it in these levels: Basic (Elo 400 – 600), Intermediate (Elo 1000 – 1200), Advanced (Elo 1200 – 1400). It suits players who prefer long-term plans and pawn structure.
What traps are there in the French Defence?
OpeningCraft teaches 1 traps and opponent mistakes in this opening, for example: Opponent's mistake (4.Nxd4).
How many lines of the French Defence do you need to learn?
OpeningCraft teaches 25, in blocks of 5. They come from real Lichess games at each rating band, and the traps and opponent mistakes most common at your level come first.