French Defence - Early Deviations For White

Early Deviations For White

After 1.e4 e6, almost 90 percent of all games continue 2.d4 d5, but White can try other ideas. The most important of these is 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2, with a version of the King's Indian Attack. White will likely play Ngf3, g3, Bg2, O-O, c3 and/or Re1 in some order on the next few moves. Black has several ways to combat this set-up: 3...c5 followed by ...Nc6, ...Bd6, ...Nf6 or ...Nge7 and ...O-O is common, 3...Nf6 4.Ngf3 Nc6 plans ...dxe4 and ...e5 to block in the Bg2, and 3...Nf6 4.Ngf3 b6 makes ...Ba6 possible if White's light-square bishop leaves the a6–f1 diagonal. 2.d3 has been used by many leading players over the years, including GMs Pal Benko, Bobby Fischer and Lev Psakhis.

• 2.f4 is the Labourdonnais Variation, named after Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais, the 19th-century French master.

• 2.Qe2 is the Chigorin Variation, which discourages 2...d5 because after 3.exd5 the Black pawn is pinned, meaning Black would need to recapture with the queen. Black usually replies 2...c5, after which play can resemble the 2.d3 variation or the Closed Variation of the Sicilian Defence.

• 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 is the Two Knights' Variation: 3...d4 and 3...Nf6 are good replies for Black.

• 2.b3 leads to the Réti Gambit after 2...d5 3.Bb2 dxe4, but Black can also decline it with 3...Nf6 4.e5 Nd7 with White going for f4 and Qg4 before putting the knight on f3.

• 2.e5 is known as the Steinitz Attack, after the first World Champion who analysed and sometimes played it in the late nineteenth century. It is not considered a challenging response to 1...e6 and, as such, is relatively rare.

• 2.Bc4 is rare, to which Black may respond with 2...b6 or 2...d5.

• After 2.d4 d5 White can also choose the Diemer-Duhm Gambit with 3.c4?!, but this move is considered weak by theory. The most common continuation is 3...dxe4 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. f3, after which 5...Bb4, 5...c5, and 5...exf3 are all possible. Further information can be found on the DDG site.