Hey guys, I am going to start a forum on my experiments in the French defense.  If you are, or were, anything like me...never quite satisfied with your defensive choice, always trying to find something more satisfying...I have hunted for years for a defense I like against 1.e4.  I have played one defense fruitfully, but still, something was missing.  I have played the Petroff, Owen's Defense, etc...don't want to list them all. 

This forum is simply me and my French adventures.  I am not saying these games are any kind of theory.  But if you have suggestions, that would be great.  And if you want to post some of your own ideas or games, feel free to.

Alright, here is a 15 minute game that shows sometimes 1. e4 players get lost in their own opening experiments against a "crappy" opening like the French :-)...Of course, I don't mean those comments against the French.  I have faired decent when I play it, and am willing to work with it some more.

Here is one example I played against yesterday.

Has anyone studied the variation with Be7 and g5 with the French?  I saw something about it on the Internet, and the idea intrigued me...I have played a weird offbeat opening one time for fun against a computer...e4 e6 Nf3 g5!?  I am not saying that the opening is theoretically promising...Black is making some compromising moves early...but it was fun, and I got a draw against a computer with it...got into endgame positions, I should say.

Here is the idea I am speaking about...If anyone has any games or ideas, please let me know.

Okay, here is another example of opening with the French, a game that I am currently in a correspondence with.  I don't want suggestions with my line that I am currently in, but maybe if people have experience with alternative options than what I picked that are successful...

I really don't understand 6...g5 in the second game.

I played ...g5 once so far, and I lost, but the game was very fun...the idea is that you are playing for control of the board.  You have ruined a "stable" castling on either side, but after g5, maybe h6 can also be played, but you should try it and play some ideas, see if you like it.  I was asking for people's comments on it myself and have gotten nothing back yet.

Look at the one that shows ...g5.  It would definetely be a game for someone who likes more complicated chess.