The French defense is called half-open, since the opening begins with the moves e4 - e6, where Black is in no hurry to open his garrisons. The main task of the defenders is to prepare d5 counterfall on the second move. The debut was dubbed after a team of French chess players defeated opponents from England in a match game by correspondence. To date, the French defense has been carefully studied and is used in matches of the highest qualification.
The main danger for Black will be the isolated position of the c8-bishop. Hence the corresponding tasks for opponents arise: whites must develop their initiative, and defenders must try to remove their weak link from a predicament.
French defense. Options
There are a large number of such major openings, as well as their branches, which have been carefully studied and developed by a whole cohort of the best grandmasters and theorists of chess. Black reinforces weak f7 with the first move, but temporarily loses balance on the center line. Black's strategic orientation is based on a cardinal pawn attack c5 - f6 after White forms a strong front in the middle, and then on the pressure of the destroyed structure. It is very important for them to withstand the attack in the first 20 moves of the match.
Exchange option
White sometimes wants to simplify the position or draw, so they play this way, even though the first move provides them with minimal initiative. This option is advantageous for Black, since their bishop c8 opens up a spacious road. Getting them to win the party will be very difficult. There are two branches of the opening where White can take great initiative if Black does not promptly and correctly respond to the g6-bishop.
Nimzowicz system
According to some sources, this beginning was played in 1620 by the Italian chess player Joachino Greco even before the debut found its real name. At the end of the XVIII century, Louis Paulsen began to practice it, but Aron Nimtsovich made a complete analysis of this position. The grandmaster noted that the move e5 fetters the rational development of the horse from the royal side and partly delays the formation of the entire flank. Nimtsovich added here that the transfer of the attacking potential from d5 to e6 further weakens the position of Black's defense in the center.
However, White begins to lose pace in the last move. This allows opponents to organize a coherent and active defense against attack. To give an advantage in this position to one of the parties is rather difficult. There are many branches of this debut developed by prominent chess masters:
- closed extension of Nimtsovich,
- option V. Steinitz,
- Paulsen attack
- the position of Euwe et al.
Tarrasch system
White actually refuses to fight for the center, making a move with the knight K d2, and leaves the d4 pawn without guardianship. This maneuver violates the laws of the development of the pieces, since the white-squared bishop is locked in its own rear. However, the construction guarantees reliability in the central segment of the field.
The prominent German chess theoretician Siegbert Tarrasch repeatedly and successfully played such a variant of the French defense for whites, therefore he is mentioned in the name of the variation. The practice of the following years, as well as the matches of A. Karpov with V. Korchnoi, where the first did not win more than one game, shows that Black can equalize with 3 ... c5! As a result, Karpov did not play the horse d2, but on c3. This position also has a large number of branches.
L. Paulsen system
Such a development does not block the bishop c1, the queenside knight actively develops, building up enough tension in the center for black. Robert Fisher, Alexander Alekhine and Vasily Smyslov often resorted to this position and rather successfully developed their figures. Black has two main positions - the b4-bishop or the f6-knight. Somewhat less often, against the developing move of White, the defense resorts to move with the c5-pawn.
Particular attention is paid to the continuation of the Paulsen system, which was called the “Wienover variant” (1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. K s3 C b4). It is considered the most popular today. Foreign literature ascribes tremendous merit in the analysis of this debut to M. Botvinnik and A. Nimtsovich - people who have spent great efforts in developing this direction.
Black actively intends to advance his pawns on the queenside after successfully connecting the white knight c3. Defense of the weak side and the attack on the kingside is the main task for White. M. Botvinnik believed that the French defense for blacks in this arrangement is more priority. According to him, the defense here is quite sharp, has counter-chances that offset the advantage of White’s first move, even though they have great freedom and two active bishops. The minus for the attack is the doubling of the pawns on the c line. Black, knowing this, easily destroys the advantage with the move c5 - c4.
The French defense is a half-open debut, and it should be chosen by patient players who can see the weaknesses of the opponent’s position and counterattack in time.