Chess lessons › Chess openings
The French Defence
Black builds a pawn chain with e6 and d5, and White chooses between the Advance and the Exchange.
The idea
Black meets e4 with e6 and d5, building a solid pawn chain.
- Black’s pawns on e6 and d5 make a chain: e6 guards d5.
- White’s chain runs from d4 to e5, and d4 is its base.
- Black attacks the base with c5: without d4, e5 loses its support.
In a game: Solid against e4, but have a plan for the bishop on c8 that your own pawns shut in.
How the lesson begins
Find the move
Black to move. Black has played 1...e6, which is the French Defence, and White has taken the centre with d4. Challenge the pawn on e4.
A hint
The pawn on d7 moves two squares and attacks e4.
Show the answer
2... d5
d5 attacks e4, and the pawns on e6 and d5 now form a pawn chain: the pawn on e6 defends the pawn on d5. It is a solid set-up. Among players rated 1200 to 1599 on Lichess, White scored 50% after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5, so the opening is balanced at this level.
Find the move
White to move. Gain space and cramp Black: push the e-pawn forward, where the pawn on d4 will defend it.
A hint
The pawn on e4 moves one square, and d4 defends it.
Show the answer
3. e5
e5 is the Advance Variation. White now has a pawn chain of its own, d4 and e5. It takes space and fixes Black’s pawn on e6, so the bishop on c8 stays shut in behind its own pawns, with a single move: Bd7.
In numbers
How often it is played
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | 25 |
| 800 to 1199 | 47 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 56 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 64 |
| 2000 and up | 62 |
How the games ended
White won 48%, 4% were drawn and Black won 48%, over 1,08,053 games that start this way, in a sample of rated Lichess games from 2026.