The French Defence is characterised by 1.e4 e6.
Featured video: This highly instructive video, a French Defence between GM Michael Adams and WGM Elisabeth Paehtz looks at the concept of access paths to an exploitable weakness.
Games
- Pogonina vs Mammadova – French Tarrasch – 2013 Russian Women’s Team Championship Rd2 – countering the Tarrasch
- Tal vs Salnikov – French Defence – 1970 – beautiful miniature
- Svidler vs Ivanchuk – French Defence Advance – 2013 Candidates Rd13 – tactical complications
- Tarrasch vs Mieses – French Defence – Berlin, 1916 (2) – attacking mastery
- Tarrasch vs Mieses – French Defence – Berlin, 1916 – greedily grabbing a pawn
- Sundin vs Andersson – French Winawer – Correspondence, 1964 – Immortal Correspondence Game
- Tal vs Petrosian – French Defence – URS Blitz, 1975 – explosive encounter
- Deep HIARCS vs Houdini 1.5a – French Defence – 2012 – interesting computer clash
- Keres vs Verbak – French Alapin – Correspondence, 1932 – development deficit
- Harikrishna vs Giri – French Defence – 2013 Tata Steel Rd1 – French Rubinstein, and an uneven endgame
- Anand vs Namakura – French Defence Steinitz – 2013 Tata Steel Rd1 – an aggressive try ends in a relatively quick draw
- Karjakin vs Hou Yifan – French Defence Steinitz – 2013 Tata Steel Rd1 – an untested Steintitz line
- Carlsen vs Vallejo-Pons – French Winawer – 2012 Bilbao Masters Rd7 – unusual and seemingly innocuous variation
- Mavrikakis vs Dermentzis – French Defence – 2004 Greek Team Championship – attractive advance French
- So vs Meier – French Defence Classical – 2012 SPICE Cup Rd 4 – energetic French
- Smyslov vs Stahlberg – French Defence Classical – Zurich, 1953 – exploiting kingside weaknesses
- Caruana vs Vallejo-Pons – French Defence Advance – 2012 Bilbao Masters – a flying start
- Dominguez Perez vs Shirov – French Defence – 2012 Chess Olympiad – sharp Classical French
- Robson vs Ostos – French Defence – 2012 Chess Olympiad Rd3
- Carlsen vs Nakamura – French Defence – 2010 World Blitz Championship
- Alekhine vs Von Feldt – French Defence – Blindfold, Tarnopol 1916
- Svidler vs Vitiugov – French Defence – 2012 Russian Championships
- Blindfold miniature: Alekhine vs Vasic – French Defence, Winawer – 1931
- Tarrasch vs Mieses – French Defence – Berlin 1916
- Yu vs Vitiugov – French Winawer – Russia vs China 2012
- Adams vs Paehtz 2012 French Defence – exploring access paths
- Tal vs Korchnoi, French Winawer
- Hort vs Petrosian, French Winawer
- French Defence Winawer Poisoned Pawn, Matulovic vs Zinn, Part 1
- French Defence Winawer Poisoned Pawn, Matulovic vs Zinn, Part 2
- Tal vs Strelkov, Riga 1949
Opening Theory:
- French Defence, Rubinstein Variation
- French Defence Tarrasch – including 3…c5, 3…Nf6, 3…a6
- Jones vs Hernandez Reyes – French Winawer – 2012 Chess Olympiad Rd5 – instructive mismatch
- Beginner Openings: French Defence Part 1
- Beginner Openings: French Defence Part 2, Tarrasch with 3.Nd2
- Early …Ne4 in the French Part 1
- Early …Ne4 in the French Part 2
- Activating black’s light-squared bishop in the French Defence
- French Defence – Part 1
- French Defence – Part 2
- French Defence Lesson Part 1
- French Defence Lesson Part 2
- The Winawer French Defence, Poisoned Pawn Variation
- Fischer against the French Defence
Other resources:
