The Annoying Exchange French

Black always has ways to unbalance the position- usually they are associated with castling long. GM Berg offers  a very comprehensive Black repertoire in his 3rd French volume published by Quality Chess.

As Black, I love when my opponents go for the French exchange variation. A lot of them do so OTB "to avoid theory" and to deprive Black from its beloved closed center. So, either you give up already or you you simply start working on the exchange variation, knowing it is worth it (since a lot of people will play it).

At my modest level:

1) I worked on something against the specific 4.c4 line.

It starts with 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 Bb4 5.Nc3 (usually) Qe7+!?. White has only 3 ways of fending off the check and you can be sure the game will not be boring, it often leads to very interesting positions. With a few moves you will dare White to solve early problems properly (mostly, how to castle safely).

2) Against the more usual White's setup (Nf3/Bd3/00/c3...) I studied Alekhine's games with the following setup for Black: ...Nc6/...Bg4/...Bd6/...Nge7/...Dd7/...000. Besides Alekhine, I found GM games (including some worthy blitz games) in databases with nice attacking schemes.

In each case, it takes work. The loser side in most "exchange" variations often seems to be the one who was lazy, thinking "it's drawish anyway".

yoooo mum

I play the French quite a bit.  In blitz games the symmetrical lines still seems to win against lower rated players.  An eventual Ne4 can sometimes be played.

Another plan is to play c5 after white plays Bd3 and you've played Nbd7.

yeahhhhhhhhh whatt r we talkin bout

 Here is a game where the exchange French is not boring, but rather it is tactical. 

The line 1e4 e6 2d4 d5 3exd5 exd5 4c4 is not the line in the French Exchange that people consider boring. It is the ones with 4Nf3 or 4Bd3.

After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 I usually play Nf6 and Be7.  I noticed some good players play Bb4 instead of Be7.  I avoid this because I don't like the pinning move Bg5. 

How should black proceed afterBg5?

Bb4 + black can play directly after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 Bb4+

after 5.Nc3  black can play Nf6 but also Ne7 and in this last case I think black has not to worry about Bg5.

As for me, when the positions are not symmetrical they are less "boring" or "dull". That was said quite to the point - Stockfish wins either side in any "boring" position)) It means that there can be found many interesting ideas in most "boring", "dull", "drawish" (which only at the first superficial glance may seem drawish) positions.

I'm not so sure it's that drawish. Looking at the French Exchange in the Mega DB you get about 38k games:

3. Statistics
Black scores well (54%).
Black performs Elo 2022 against an opposition of Elo 1994 (+28).
White performs Elo 2024 against an opposition of Elo 2052 (-28).
White wins: 10590 (=28%), Draws: 13882 (=37%), Black wins: 13325 (=35%)
The drawing quote is Average. (13% quick draws, < 20 Moves)

White wins are of average length (39).
Black wins are of average length (39).
Draws are short (29).

So you are as likely to win as draw agaiinst a white player who uses it (and both are a lot more likely than a White win.)

A couple French books I have both say that Black's advantage lies in the choice of breaking the symmetry. Looking at the chess.com Opening Explorer, Black has done unusually well against the exchange:

I think the statistics are skewed in black's favor because so many lower rated players play it as white against  higher rated players.

Hello

I have a Question regarding the Exchange Variation in the French defence:

What do you think of White going in to a Petrov reversed Colors?

Of course this would be mainly out of practical reasons. Not to get an edge chess wise.

But rather to force a Player, who hasnt the petrov in his reptertoire, to Play the highly theoretical petrov mainlines.

Lets say, the White Player has the petrov in his Repertoire and black doesnt.

If the White Player Plays for a draw anyway.

After all, the French Exchange Variation doesnt offer a much higher Advantage for White, than the petrov for black.

Both openings are very drawish.

Is this even the Petrov reversed Colors? Im a Little bit confused about it.

Thx

After 5.Ne5.... well, you are playing black. All white's play in the Petroff goes around the exploitation of the rather vulnerable placing of the e4 knight- so, why give your opponent the luxury?

5.Bd3, or even 5.c4 are more logical moves.

Good research!