Smashing the French

What is the most agressive system against the French defence? Nc3, e5 or Nd2? Are there any particular lines that have gambits in them? Thanks!

I'm in France but I'm not very good in French defense.

Neither am I with Yugoslav attack.

The Milner-Barry gambit is a gambit for white in the advance variation (e5). Goes like this, unless I memorized it incorrectly:

Another gambit, the Alekhine-Chatard attack, is an Nc3 line:

The poisoned pawn variation of winawer (also Nc3) is actually a gambit for black, but it does lead to some crazy positions as well. It is definitely more aggresive than the positional variation (Nf3 or a4 instead of Qg4):

Lastly, I can't guarentee you will get in to it, but the c5 variation of the tarrasch is not a gambit, but is relatively open (open center, black has either an IQP or you get a lead in development).

heres a game where I used the minler barry gambit imma post the forum so here you go.

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-openings/crushing-the-french

The advance variation is I think supposed to be the most agressive. 

Good forum and contributions.  Thank you to all.  I used to play an interesting and dubious trap which I will try to remember.

Ooh nice! I've never seen this Milner-Barry Gambit before. Is there possibly a better move than Nc3 though?

yep, it's the main line for a reason. 

the chatard-alekhine attack can be brutal

but how many people are going to play Be7? compared to dxe4 or Bb4?

Believe it or not, the majority of club players play Be7.  They likely don't play the Macutcheon and nobody plays the Burn.  If they wanted to play something along those lines, they could have played the Rubinstein.  I'd say about 75% play Be7

@Schachgeek

i am unable to challenge you :-( ,

will accept if you challenge me :-)

will probably lose, but it should be a fun game.

JJ

I hope you realize that the french can't be "smashed" effortlessly by some dream line. Anyways, if you want to be aggressive, I recomend simply 3 Nc3 (though e5 is possible but i think less challenging) allowing a winawer, but white gets attacking chances on the kingside. In the classical, white also has some chances against the king but black has plenty of counterplay as well. You can't really avoid that though. I prefer the Tarrasch (3 Nd2) which has chances for a well supported pawn wedge but it doesn't seem to be as aggressive. I don't recomend however the wing gambits in this opening as they just give black an excellent game if he knows what he's doing. These normal lines have decent chances of a kingside attack so just stick with them. Just keep in mind of course, black's ...f6 break, which if the center is unprotected will give black the center but if you keep e5 and d4 overprotected ...f6 might instead backfire and then you could attack in peace.

i play the french as black most of the time and have for years.  3.nd2 gives me the most trouble.  even though 3.nc3 is the "main line" most people play 3.e5 it seems.  if you really want to make me mad, play the exchange variation, I loose concentration, and eventually the game, because i get bored.  when i started getting into chess, the french inspired ire in me.  i wanted to crush whoever played such an inane opening like the french.  after beating my head against a brick wall named byron funkhouser for 20 some games, (he played the french as black all 20 games) i decided that it was a good defense and ive been playing it ever since.  for some reason the french has the unique quality of making white want to destroy black...anybody else think that?

 I thought the samething, but know I love to play the french. It's not one of my first openings to play anymore, but I do still play it from time to time. Very solid

I don't think it's unique.  Actually I find it less so than any of that modern crap.  I think I have more respect for the french.  It's damned annoying when you go through a phase when it seems all your opponents are playing it though.  Finally I get someone who tries 1...c5 only for the game to go 2.c3 e6 and we're back in a french! grr

 it seems no one plays the french against me.  but i dont play 1.e4 hardly at all anymore.  when i do it seems my opponents always play either 1...e5 or 1...c5.  i get alot of people that play 2.nf3 against my 1...e6 i always respond 2...c5 going into a taiminov scillian. 

yes! because unlike other openings, there aren't "bayonet attacks"

I play the French as my main defence to 1.e4.

Some people try to smash it, but as it is so solid, it will end in tears!

There are plenty of aggressive things you can do, but they aren't necessarily sound because the French is basically a counter-attacking opening so, if white over-reaches himself, black picks his moment to play c5 or f6 for the standard pawn break, frees up his position and whoopeedoo.

I think Nc3 is probably the most aggressive or fighting variation - the Qg4 lines of the Winawer are always rather interesting.

The exchange has a bad rep, but it is still fairly easy to unbalance the position and get a fighting game. I've currently got a 100% record against the exchange.

It's often best to be patient as white, but aggressive kingside attacks often work against less experienced French players.