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French Defense 1.e4 e6
The French Defense starts with 1.e4 e6 and is catalogued under ECO C00. It belongs to the open games and French section of the book. The catalog indexes 212 lines inside it, grouped into 170 named variations. The position after those moves has 12 playable continuations to walk from here.
i Interactive lessons French Defense With 3.Nc3
22 min · 11 steps · 8 questions
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Opening repertoire map Root edges show how often each move is played around your Elo. Use the arrow on a position to reveal the next replies.
Open French Defense position Study French Defense position Collapse French Defense continuations
Show replies after d4 — Normal Variation Study d4 — Normal Variation position Expand d4 — Normal Variation continuations
Show replies after d3 — King's Indian Attack Study d3 — King's Indian Attack position Expand d3 — King's Indian Attack continuations
Show replies after Nf3 — Knight Variation Study Nf3 — Knight Variation position Expand Nf3 — Knight Variation continuations
Show replies after Nc3 — Queen's Knight Study Nc3 — Queen's Knight position Expand Nc3 — Queen's Knight continuations
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1. e4
Claims the center with a pawn and opens lines for the queen and king’s bishop.
Idea: Build quick development and make early castling possible.
1… e6
Prepares ...d5 to challenge White’s center with a supported pawn.
Idea: Build a compact pawn chain, then attack its base with ...c5.
Book continuations Waiting for Lichess game popularity.
12 moves d4 French Defense: Normal Variation 149 named lines · French Defense · Benoni Defense: French Benoni Advances to d4 to claim central space and control nearby key squares. Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.d3 French Defense: King's Indian Attack 4 named lines · King's Indian Attack: Sicilian Variation · French Defense: Reversed Philidor Formation Advances to d3 to claim central space and control nearby key squares. Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.Nf3 French Defense: Knight Variation 4 named lines · French Defense: Wing Gambit · French Defense: Two Knights Variation Develops the knight to f3, bringing it into the game. Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.Nc3 French Defense: Queen's Knight 3 named lines · French Defense: Pelikan Variation · French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Duras Variation Develops the knight to c3, bringing it into the game. Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.b3 French Defense: Horwitz Attack 2 named lines · French Defense: Horwitz Attack, Papa-Ticulat Gambit Advances the b-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares. Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.b4 French Defense: Banzai-Leong Gambit 2 named lines · French Defense: Banzai-Leong Gambit, Pinova Gambit Advances the b-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares. Idea: Prepare a fianchetto or discourage the opponent’s expansion on that wing.c4 French Defense: Steiner Variation 2 named lines · French Defense: Orthoschnapp Gambit Advances the c-pawn to gain queenside space and control new squares. Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.f4 French Defense: La Bourdonnais Variation 2 named lines · French Defense: La Bourdonnais Variation, Reuter Gambit Advances the f-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares. Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.Bb5 French Defense: Bird Invitation 1 named line Develops the bishop to b5, bringing it into the game. Idea: Improve piece coordination and clear the back rank for castling and the rooks.e5 French Defense: Steinitz Attack 1 named line Advances to e5 to claim central space and control nearby key squares. Idea: Give the pieces room to develop behind a durable central foothold.g3 French Defense: Réti-Spielmann Attack 1 named line Advances the g-pawn to gain kingside space and control new squares. Idea: Create useful wing space while keeping the central structure flexible.Qe2 French Defense: Chigorin Variation 1 named line Repositions the queen to e2, where it influences a new part of the board. Idea: Coordinate threats carefully while avoiding unnecessary tempi against the queen.Named variations Each line below is an indexed entry under French Defense. Open one to load it on the board and keep exploring from that position.
French Defense C00 e4 e6 Banzai-Leong Gambit C00 e4 e6 b4 Bird Invitation C00 e4 e6 Bb5 Chigorin Variation C00 e4 e6 Qe2 Openings from the same volume ECO groups openings by the structures they lead to, so these families tend to share plans with the French Defense.
C o dy Clear chess coaching, right beside the board.
Horwitz Attack C00
e4 e6 b3
King's Indian Attack C00 e4 e6 d3
Knight Variation C00 e4 e6 Nf3
La Bourdonnais Variation C00 e4 e6 f4
Normal Variation C00 e4 e6 d4
Queen's Knight C00 e4 e6 Nc3
Réti-Spielmann Attack C00 e4 e6 g3
Steiner Variation C00 e4 e6 c4
Steinitz Attack C00 e4 e6 e5
Baeuerle Gambit C00 e4 e6 d4 b5
Franco-Hiva Gambit C00 e4 e6 d4 f5
Franco-Sicilian Defense C00 e4 e6 d4 c5
King's Indian Attack, Franco-Hiva Gambit C00 e4 e6 d3 f5
Knight Variation, Franco-Hiva Gambit C00 e4 e6 Nf3 f5
Mediterranean Defense C00 e4 e6 d4 Nf6
St. George Defense C00 e4 e6 d4 a6
Advance Variation C02 e4 e6 d4 d5 e5
Alapin Gambit C00 e4 e6 d4 d5 Be3
Banzai-Leong Gambit, Pinova Gambit C00 e4 e6 b4 Bxb4 e5
Diemer-Duhm Gambit C00 e4 e6 d4 d5 c4 © 2026 Cody Chess. All rights reserved.
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146 more named lines sit inside this family — the tree above walks all of them.
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