How do I counter the French Opening?

It's not a news flash. I have been well aware it is an opening. It's just not a very good one! Have actually played it over the board maybe 20 or so times as White and against it probably 3 to 4 times as often.

You must think I am a 1200 player if you really are dumb enough to think I don't know the KIA is an opening. Hate to break it to you. Last time I was a 1200 player was 1997, probably before you were even alive!

That was a long time before I was alive

Could care less what the rating of the OP is.

The original response to TheSampson was that his reasoning was all wrong, and to advise anybody, 500 or 2500, on the basis of bad logic is ill-advised.

He did not say the KIA because White gets a raging attack on the kingside. He did not say the KIA because of its tactical nature. He did not give a legitimate reason.

He said it gets French players out of their prep and tricks them.

I don't care what opening you advise people to play. When your sole reason behind playing a line is to attempt to "trick" the opponent, and you have no sound, logical reason from your own side to back up your statement, you are advising someone to do something for all the wrong reasons.

Never said the KIA is unsound, just said it is not very good. If he had given a more legitimate reason for playing it, like if the OP had stated he likes to take risks to attack and play aggressively, and that was TheSampson's reasoning behind advising it, you'd hear no argument. You would be acknowledging that you are taking a bigger risk in hopes for bigger rewards.

To just play something on the FLAWED LOGIC that you are "tricking" your opponent is horrible advice to give anybody. Now you are advising them to think totally differently, not just against the French, but in all aspects of chess. Chess is not about one trick ponies, where if they fall for it, great, you win, but if they don't, your position is worse. Chess is about having a cohesive plan of attack and a cohesive plan of defense.

The way for a beginner to get better is not to learn trick lines. They should be playing main lines not because of theory, but because of opening principals. Grab the center. 1.e4 e6, Black did nothing to stop me from taking the center with 2.d4, therefore I play 2.d4. 2...d5. Hmm, my e-pawn is attacked. I must protect, Advance, or exchange. Exchanging opens up Black's Bishop. Advancing gains space and hems the Bishop in.

Using opening concepts, and not theory, The Advance makes a lot of sense. Theoretically, 3.Nc3 is best. For a beginner, I would advise the Advance as it is the most "conceptual" of the lines. Grab the center. Make Black's bad piece remain bad. Etc. While theoretically best, I would not advise a beginner to play 3.Nc3.

This is how you teach a beginner to open a game. The line that follows opening concepts the best. Not the most theoretical and surely not on the basis of tricks.

Although 3.Nc3 is still based on opening principles

Yes, but explaining to a beginner after 3...Bb4 4.e5 c5 why this is slightly better for White than being able to play c3 to protect the d-pawn is where it gets very complicated. You could explain it to an 1800 player and he'd probably get it, but too advanced for a 500. The concept of protecting the pawn with the pawn is very simple.

fair enough 👍

I think that 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.0-0! (the current trend) is a very interesting line with mutual chances, and I wouldn't bother entering this.
What I like best as Black is (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3) Bd7!

Now the 6.Bd3 line does not make much sense after 6...cxd4, when you can't ignore that pawn (there is no misplaced Queen at b6), and the "best move" 6.Be2 gives Black pretty good chances after 6...f6! 7.0-0 fxe5 8.Nxe5 Nxe5 9.dxe5 Qc7 and eventually ...0-0-0.

Surely positions with opposite side castling are not "dead equal", but Black has an easier task here than in most advance lines: Place the knight at f5, and push...c5-c4 at the most appropriate time. It's not easy at all for white to conduct an attack on the Queenside.

my french rep

I am well aware of the trend. A lot of trends are due to books written.

This is why you research books on whatever you play from both sides. See what hype lines are coming down the pipe.

6.Bd3 cxd4 7.O-O is from Gaiwan Jones's Coffee House Chess series.

In the exchange, they symmetrical variation, due to Fishbien's "Exchange French Comes to Life", the Queen check to try to disrupt Black is becoming more popular than 6.O-O O-O 7.Bg5 Bg4 8.Nbd2 Nbd7 9.c3 c6 10.Qc2 Qc7 with a very easy game for Black. If White does nothing, it's a draw. If he presses, he has to commit first. Common is 11.h3 or 11.Rfe1 Rfe8 12.h3. Now Black can play ...Bg4-h5-g6 which White cannot due to the move h3. Here is the imbalance in the Symmetrical. Not so great for White, hence Fishbein's idea of the Queen check.

When Thinker's Press finally publishes that blue cover book on 7.h4 against the Winawer, it will cause a stretch where 7.h4 is more popular than 7.Qg4. I always have been one that favors 7.h4 over 7.Qg4 for White, and find it the most difficult to fight as Black.

There has not been much Tarrasch hype of late. Only real hype is from Black's side in the 4...Qxd5 line, retreating to d7 and d8 instead of d6 on move 6.

Ngl? You're right. I mean, pretty sure you're overexaggerating a bit about the whole "playing chess by trying to trick people" thing but you have a really good point. I'll shut up now.