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French Defense

The French: …d5 challenges e4, Black accepts the light-square bishop's prison in exchange for a rock-solid chain.

Profile Details
Moves
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5
Core idea
solid chain, ...c5 counterplay, bad bishop
Main trap
the g2-g3/…Bb4? no — Winawer ...Bb4 pin pressure
Who suits
grinders who defend well
Variations
Advance, Winawer, Classical, Tarrasch
Theory load
moderate — structures repeat

About French Defense

The French is chess's great structure study: Black's light-squared bishop is famously bad, but the pawn chain is granite and the counterplay (...c5, attacking the chain's base) is eternal. The Winawer (…Bb4 pinning the knight) is the sharpest; the Classical is the solid rock. Players who enjoy defending slightly-worse positions with clear plans thrive here — it is a temperament test that never stops teaching.