French is the best black defense to 1.e4 at < 2000 rating

Is this true that French is best for <2000 rating.

No, all the responses are equally good below the 2300 rating. 1...e5, 1...c5, 1...e6, 1...c6, 1...d5, 1...d6, 1...g6, maybe even 1...Nf6.

I would imagine the OP thinks this because you get many sub 2000 players complaining about facing the French.  They are taught early on about opening the center and active piece play and tactics.  There are numerous tactics in the french, but they are often (emphasis on often, not always) sacrificial in nature, like Nxd5 for White or Nxe5 for Black just to name a couple.  Also, there are lines available to open the position in other openings.  Something like the king's gambit or bishop's opening against e5.  Morra gambit against c5.  Panov against c6.  But against the French, no such system exists that is sound.  You either trade in the exchange or certain lines of the open tarrasch and get an open e-file with an open positional game with many cases of one side getting an IQP, or else you get a blocked center and play is on the wings and beginners are taught not to try to execute wing attacks because they only work when the center is secured and immobile, but they are taught to open the center.

This is why most will say that the French is an opening most either love or hate, no in between because it is vastly different from all other KP openings from a beginners aspect.  As you get a better understanding, you realize it is not much different than some e6 sicilians.

I admire the creativity in the Buffchix openings:

The French Defense may be good for some players because the principle of defending the Kingside and attacking the Queenside beginning with ...c5 helps players who don't know how to put a plan together det to a playable middlegame.

I coached a high school team and for players under 1000 rating, I taught them the relatively out-of-favor Bishop's Opening as White: 1 e4 e5 2 Bc4.  White plays f4, around the 5th move, before playing Nf3, tries to castle Q-side, then launches a Pawn Storm on the K-side backed up by his two rooks.

The Bishop's Opening gives lower-rated players a plan and our team won game after game with it.

But, in general, you want any opening that leads you to a playable middlegame.

It is a great opening no doubdt about it, but it shouldnt be the only thing that you play becouse it leads to the same kind of pawn structures all the time, offcourse, you can say that you will learn this structures and become better with time, but I dont belive that, I think that you have to play all different kinds of positions if you want to grow as a player, but still, who knows what the correct answer is..

There are the Steiner variation and the Steinitz attack

well no the reason was not that as ThrillerFan said. The reason in my honest opinion is that to beat the French you have to throw all your pieces at the black king energetically. If you don't mate the black king soon then you die a slow death due to black's superior position.

however, agreed with thrillerfan that sacrifices are an almost must in the french.

yeah that could very well be. what else should i play? i don't want to play the sicilian not because i hate the mainline but because i hate the sidelines. i guess i should play the open games?

I play the exchange french always with white and find it easy to get an open and tactical game.Black has to play real careful and precise to keep the position equal.Never found anything so special or superior in the French and i a play it very rarely.In fact,i am very happy when a sub 2000 player plays French against me;it says,'I am going to play real safe and quiet,you may lead the attack'.

I prefer the Reti gambit myself.  Most Frenchies at my level have no idea what to do.  It is not as drawish as the exchange variation and it is much harder to block up the position than normal French games.

The French is far from safe and quiet for either side imo.

Let's say, one of the best.