Is there any NOT DRAWISH line in the Exchange French

The last part of your statement is true, the rest is false.

The exchange variation is Black's best line.

At the GM level, yes it is drawish, but so is the Dragon as that is known to a draw.

At the amateur level (Expert and National Master are still Amateur level), by playing the Symmetrical lines, you only need to know 3 things and you will almost never lose.

I have played with the intention of playing the Symmetrical variation about 100 times in tournament play. Opponent ratings range from 1600 to 2300 (I cannot say anyone over 2300 has done it, but I know one GM personally that would do it against me if we faced).

You need to master the following 3 things and you are golden:

1) Fighting the IQP - This happens in the 4.c4 line - 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4 - do not take on c4 until White has moved his Bishop. In my 100 or so games, I have gotten this maybe 5 times.

2) The early Qe2 check - I think I faced this once. It can be annoying and slightly passive at first, but the Queen on the open file is a detriment to White as well. Remember I said I know a GM personally that plays this? Alex Fishbein plays this, and wrote "The Exchange French Comes to Life". It is geared towards White, but a useful read for Black.

3) ACE YOUR MINOR PIECE ENDINGS! - I would say 90 of the 100 games started 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.O-O O-O OR 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d3 (yes, Fishbein plays this too) Nf6 6.d4 d5 7.Bd3 Bd6 8.O-O (Fishbein plays 8.Qe2+ here - see number 2) O-O.

Now if 7.Bg5 (or 9.Bg5 in the case of the Petroff), then 7...Bg4 8.Nbd2 Nbd7 9.c3 c6 10 Qc2 Qc7. If white ever plays h3, then ...Bh5 and Black should AVOID ...h6 and play ...Bg6 at some point soon. Trade all Rooks off the e-file. Trade Queens if the time is desirable. You will typically end up in NN vs NN, NN vs NB, N vs N, N vs B, or occasionally BN vs NB or BN vs NN or B vs B of opposite color. If there is a bishop standing, it is usually the dark one for Black and the light one for White.

Now, let me repeat. My rating has ranged from 1950 to 2150 during this time with the opposition averaging about 1900. So with an average rating difference of about 100 points, I should score about .650, or 65 points out of 100 games. Now keep in mind, I am Black here in every game. Other than the number of losses, all numbers are estimates, and could be off by as many as 5 one way or the other.

How many times have I won playing the Symmetrical line? Roughly 60 to 65 times.

How many times have I drawn playing the Symmetrical Line? Roughly 30 to 35 times.

How many times have I lost? FOUR! Yes, FOUR TIMES! All 4 were game 60 or faster, and all but one the biggest issue was time and getting into a scramble and losing it there, nothing to do with the opening, and I played 1 bad game.

Let's take the worst case scenario. Let's say it was only 60 wins and 35 draws. That is still a score between 75 and 80 percent, playing Black every time. Well above the expected score of 65% and that expected score in the USCF rating system would also assume you had White in half your games.

So that score is outright phenominal. You ain't scoring 75 to 80 percent as Black in any of White's most "boring" options in other openings. You think you are scoring 80% across Roughly 100 overr the board tournament games of standard time control in the c3-sicilian? Exchange caro? Slow Italian? Think again.

The exchange French is nothing more than a test of wits in minor piece endings if Black plays the Symmetrical with an occasional IQP game thrown in there if White plays 4.c4.

In fact, I switched from the French to the Petroff because the ideas are most in line with the Exchange French, and can literally transpose if 5.d3.

Know your minor piece endings and become a mature chess player and you will soon realize that you are wishing everyone will play the Exchange.

I disagree completely, Thrillerfan.

The Exchange Variation is Lifeless, Dull, Symmetrical, and Boring!

I can’t believe you willingly try to play that Snooze Fest of a line ThrillerFan.

You are such a courageous person.

The exchange french is quite similar to the exchange slav, just with the e-file being open rather than the c-file. You see a lot of GM's liking ...Nge7 (rather than ...Nf6), so they can get in the move ...Bc8-f5, if White plays pawn to h3 to stop a ...Bg4 pin. In lines where White closes the entire queenside with c2-c4-c5, he hopes to get some sort of pressure by playing b2-b4-b5/a2-a4 followed by opening the b-file with bxc6, but Black can guard the c6 pawn with ...Rc8, and will counterplay the white pawn on d4 with moves like ...Nf5 and ...Ne6 or ...Bf6, for example.

The 5...c5 line that Ding played as Black against Nepo at the fifth game of the Singapore match is perfectly sound, unbalanced, and with a low draw percentage. Actually Ding got a significant advantage, which he failed to convert.

And in any case, equal positions end in a draw when both players play perfectly- hardly the case at your/mine/everyone else's level in this place.

There is no such thing as boring openings. Only boring players.

WHAT ABOUT THIS VERSION, I THINK IT IS NOT AS BORING

https://chesseasy.com/french-defense-chess-opening/

HERE ARE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF FRENCH DEFENCE 🔝

How some people react to rare openings in bullet

Please show some French exchange stuff. Don't spoil this thread.

1. Riverlandjack написал:
   p-a-a-a-w-n schreef:

   How some people react to rare openings in bullet

   Please show some French exchange stuff. Don't spoil this thread.

Ok

They just say that that is boring

Press on this link:

https://chesseasy.com/french-defense-chess-opening/

When Ever, I have trouble going to Sleep.

I don’t need to use any medication.

I don’t need to drink warm milk.

What I do is go to YouTube and turn on a French Exchange Chess Video!

After few moves, I’m sleeping like a baby.

Nice joke or is it not ? I would recommend you counting sheep🐑🤣