French Defence

The French Defence is a chess opening. It is characterised by the opening moves (see algebraic notation):

Related Topics:
Chess - Opening - Algebraic notation

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:1. , typically followed by

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:2.

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giving the position at right.

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The defence has a reputation for solidity and resilience, though it can result in a somewhat cramped game for Black in the early stages. Black often gains counterattacking possibilities on the queenside while White tends to concentrate on the kingside.

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The defence is named after a match played by correspondence between the cities of London and Paris in 1834 (although earlier examples of games with the opening do exist). It has since become a popular defence to 1.e4. Players including Viktor Korchnoi, Mikhail Botvinnik, Wolfgang Uhlmann and Nigel Short have been particularly fond of it. More recently, the defence has featured strongly in the opening repertoires of Evgeny Bareev, Alexander Khalifman, Alexander Morozevich, and Teimour Radjabov (who used it to defeat Garry Kasparov in early 2003, thus becoming the first player who was born since Kasparov took the world championship in 1985 to beat him).

Related Topics:
Correspondence - London - Paris - 1834 - Viktor Korchnoi - Mikhail Botvinnik - Wolfgang Uhlmann - Nigel Short - Evgeny Bareev - Alexander Khalifman - Alexander Morozevich - Teimour Radjabov - Garry Kasparov - 2003 - 1985

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