Opening family
French Defense Lines and Variations
The French Defense family contains 211 named lines in this opening book, spanning ECO C00 to C19. Use this page as the map, then open individual lines for exact move orders and diagrams.
How to study this family
White
White often gains space with e5 and then tries to convert that space into kingside or central pressure.
Black
Black accepts a cramped light-squared bishop in exchange for a resilient chain and counterplay against d4.
Start with the shortest line, then branch to the variations that change the pawn structure or tactical target. Memorizing every branch before understanding the family plan is usually wasted work.
Main named lines
- C00 · French Defense
- C00 · French Defense: Banzai-Leong Gambit
- C00 · French Defense: Bird Invitation
- C00 · French Defense: Chigorin Variation
- C00 · French Defense: Horwitz Attack
- C00 · French Defense: King's Indian Attack
- C00 · French Defense: Knight Variation
- C00 · French Defense: La Bourdonnais Variation
- C00 · French Defense: Normal Variation
- C00 · French Defense: Queen's Knight
- C00 · French Defense: Réti-Spielmann Attack
- C00 · French Defense: Steiner Variation
- C00 · French Defense: Steinitz Attack
- C00 · French Defense
- C00 · French Defense: Baeuerle Gambit
- C00 · French Defense: Franco-Hiva Gambit
- C00 · French Defense: Franco-Sicilian Defense
- C00 · French Defense: King's Indian Attack, Franco-Hiva Gambit
- C00 · French Defense: Knight Variation, Franco-Hiva Gambit
- C00 · French Defense: Mediterranean Defense
- C00 · French Defense: St. George Defense
- C00 · French Defense: Alapin Gambit
- C00 · French Defense: Banzai-Leong Gambit, Pinova Gambit
- C00 · French Defense: Diemer-Duhm Gambit
Deep theory branches
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. Ngf3 cxd4 6. Bc4 Qd6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Nb3 Nc6 9. Nbxd4 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 a6 — French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Chistyakov Defense, Modern Line
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. f4 O-O 8. Nf3 c5 9. Qd2 Nc6 10. O-O-O c4 — French Defense: Classical Variation, Stahlberg Variation
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 Qc7 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 cxd4 10. Ne2 — French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation, Main Line
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 Qc7 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 cxd4 10. Kd1 — French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation, Paoli Variation
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. dxc5 Nc6 7. a3 Bxc5 8. Qg4 O-O 9. Nf3 f6 — French Defense: Steinitz Variation, Brodsky-Jones Variation
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 cxd4 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 Nbc6 — French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. a4 Nbc6 8. Nf3 Qa5 9. Qd2 Bd7 — French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. a4 Nbc6 8. Nf3 Qa5 9. Bd2 Bd7 — French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. a4 Nbc6 8. Nf3 Qa5 9. Bd2 c4 — French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7 8. O-O Nxd4 9. Ng5 — French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Sørensen Variation
- 1. e4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 5. e5 h6 6. Bd2 Bxc3 7. bxc3 Ne4 8. Qg4 Kf8 9. Bc1 — French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Duras Variation
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 5. e5 h6 6. exf6 hxg5 7. fxg7 Rg8 8. h4 gxh4 9. Qg4 — French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Grigoriev Variation
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. a4 Nbc6 8. Nf3 Qa5 9. Qd2 — French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. a4 Nbc6 8. Nf3 Qa5 9. Bd2 — French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ne2 cxd4 8. cxd4 Nb6 — French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Leningrad Variation
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 5. e5 h6 6. Bd2 Bxc3 7. bxc3 Ne4 8. Qg4 g6 — French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Lasker Variation