best variations to play against french defence

Wernher, Super GM Alexander Grischuk plays the Advance as White almost exclusively against the French and has like a >70% win rate with it. Nakamura, Shirov, and Anand also play it as White so it is seen at the top level, it's just not as common as 3.Nc3.

But I find it's a hard opening that requires a lot of work, and I'm no Alexander Grischuk. I don't even have basic endgame positions like the Philidor position in rook endgames memorized. Best for me to do what Nigel Davies says to get a chess game and just play, and spend my study time on tactics and endgame. The problem is when you use the Advance the French player knows exactly what to do. They get a ton of counterplay. Hit them with the reversed Old Indian and they don't know what to do anymore, they actually have to think and play chess, and thus as White I get to play chess as well without having a contest of "who knows the Advance French best" (the player who knows the Advance French best will always be the Black French player).

Actually, in the early 90's when I was rated about 1600-1700 I used to play the French Defense myself..I loved playing against the advance (seems I would usually win the d4 pawn at some point) and the Winawer variation with all the crazy tactics.. it was the Tarrasch that killed me, vaguely recall Eddie Urquhart destroying me in that line..so took up Alekhine's Defense.  What is strange though is I want to play the advance as White.  My solid response to the French is KIA, but I can't help but think there is something in the advance variation that white needs to figure out.

Here's a collection of Grischuk's games playing the Advance as White. He makes an excellent guide for anyone wanting to use this variation as White if you play through his games soletaire chess style.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?page=1&pid=17279&playercomp=white&eco=C00-C19&result=1-0&title=Alexander%20Grischuk%20playing%20the%20French%20Defense%20as%20White

I think perhaps the key to success in the Advance is knowing about the exceptions to rules. When I was playing it it almost felt like bizarro world. Especially the lines where White played a3 and Black pushed on with c4. This a3 move was the "great idea" that ThrillerFan claims made the Advance a good opening. I don't know about you, but any opening where I have to play a3 as White before developing my pieces seems suspicious. Well anyway, in this line there's often opposite side castling and then White is supposed to push the pawns in front of his own king. As was mentioned above a "Basics of the French Advance" written for the White side that breaks all these strange variations down in simple terms would help, because as it is I just don't understand it so I don't play it.

I agree. When I was still active in tournaments, I used the advance variation against the french and I got good results.

repac3161 wrote:

Fiveofswords wrote:

well i play the tarrasch. its good...i mainly play it because it transposes to positions and position types i can get from other openings as well.

theres plenty of good stuff you can do against the french. the nc3 stuff is probably where you should start. They are all about equally good and i tihnk black can equalize against all of it. You just want to end up in some middlegame you can play

I think the best place to start learning about the French defence is with the Advance variation. Once, you have got the hang of Black's ideas about attacking pawn chains at the base and the head of the pawn chain then try something else. You will also find a number of  the themes present in the Advance variation also occur in other variations.

Alternatively, try the Tarrasch, it is a lot less theory heavy than Nc3 and thus may be viewed as more suitable to your rating. Nc3 may lead to the Classical, Winawer, and Rubenstein. It White then does not fancy the Classical but would rather the more tactical Alekhine-Chatard attack then White will need to consider the McCutcheon , the Burn variation as well as the Alekhine-Chatard accepted and declined.

Good point about the MegaDatabase Wernher. I just made the comment about Grischuk because you said "you don't see the Advance anymore at top level games". We do see it, it's just not all that common. But yes I understand your point, and I too think there's a reason it's not played much.

Even Sveshnikov playing it and writing those books about it, from what I understand the c3 Sicilian was one of Sveshnikov's pet openings and I suspect he played the Advance French because it has some synergy with the c3 Sicilian.

There are plenty of good books on the Advance French if you know where to look. But if you really want to learn how to play it as white, take a look at some annotated games that Sveshnikov has played in the Advance. His games and notes form the cornerstone of current theory on the line. 

Sveshnikov makes the Advance variation look almost like a forced win for White!

Moskalenko's excellent books on the French begin with Sveshnikov's advance.

I have Sveshnikov's books on it and there really isn't a lot of written explanation, especially in the second book. I got the feeling that those books were more for expert level players and above.

If there's some collection of Sveshnikov's games with clear explanations for the moves and what's going on please give us a link, especially in the a3 - c4 lines that I found horribly confusing.

I could understand the argument you have for wanting your students to play the Advance, surely anyone that puts the immense effort in to learn and become good with opening will gain something, but I don't know if the juice on this one is worth the squeeze. I found it to be a bizarre and challenging opening to play as White, I didn't like all the counterplay Black got from the start, and I really think my study time would be best spent on something else.

I tried to play 3.Nc3 but found it was way too much theory, like Sicilian Dragon vs Yugoslav Attack level of theory.

See this is also what the French player wants you to do, play 3.Nc3 and spend all your chess study time on the opening. That way when you play them you'll have neglected your tactics and endgame and they'll beat you.

You deeply sadden me becuase I believe you are being serious.

You simply do not understand. I'm trying to help you understand. It seems like you are not meeting me half way here.

In the Diagram below I played the move 4...a6 for black and you said it was a terrible move. I will instead play other possible move's for black in this position.

Now with a great majority of 4th possible move's for black played tell me how do you plan to refute the fact that the white queen is on e2?

If you want to play 3 Nc3 in the french while limiting the theory you need to know the steinitz variation against the classical is a good choice and then you need something other than 4 e5 against the Winawer . If you are very well prepared in one of these sidelines the chances are good that you will have better results than you will have playing the main lines of the winawer poisoned pawn .  Moves you might look into at move 4 are :  a3 , Ne2 , Bd3 , exd5 , Qd3 , Bd2 .  Personally , one sideline that has given me some trouble is after 4 e5  c5  5 Bd2 . 

@Wernher von Braun, okay first off I went from 1200 to 1839 in one year. USCF. I only mentioned that because in your arrogance you tried to tell me that I didn't know how to improve.

I can do whatever I want when I am writing the notation. Yes, of course I know what a pgn file is, and yes I know that rating points are harder at expert level. How dumb do you think I am?

X Player when you tell me that I think White strives for d4 playing the KID  as White, I suspect you do not understand KIA.  When you give the move a6? as part of  your move sequence, I also suspect we are not talking about the same variation or you do not understand the variation.  

The sequence you gave is already slightly better for Black because the usual e5 lines are stopped by Black.  e5 is very often the main spearhead for the KIA for White.  It gives White the space advantage on the Kingside that he needs to conduct his kingside attack.  The move Qe2 is designed to help facilitage the e5 spearhead.  In these lines this spearhead is stopped and Black can go ahead with his queenside attack and White does not have a kingside attack to counter balance.

The reason Black was able to stop the normal kingside attack by White is because of the too early Qe2.

So the position is already better [slightly better] for Black on the diagram before your a6 choice.  White should have an even or slightly better game by the move on your diagram and already he has a slight disadvantage.

This does not mean White will lose. It means the better chances on a practical basis are with Black.

All these problems for White can be avoided by 1. e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2

 or by 1. e4  e6 2. d3  c5 and now White plays for g3 and Bg2 and maybe Re1 before trying the e5 push.

Just like post 64 last month, this month's tournament sees yet another French get smashed by the Advance Variation - one day I'll have enough evidence to convince all you Tarrasch arguers how much better the Advance is.  3.Nc3 is still best, but the Advance is a close second!

First of all It was not me who said white should strive for a d4 move it was your words.Check the below text that I highlighted in red that you stated on in a diagram at Post #173

Now if White plays an open game with 3. d4 his Queen will obviously be misplaced.
As long as Black does not play the variations with d5 the move 2. Qe2 has no point. It is usually a wasted move.  It is somewhat vulnerable at e2. White will probably play for g3 and Bg2 but if Black also responds with g6 and Bg7 and probably d6-the White Queen is not well placed versus that variation.  Black will eventually have a queenside attack While White will have no counter on the Kingside.
For his queenside attack there will be some variations where Black can play Ba6 giving problems for White.  Also there are variations where Black might play Nd4  with an attack on the White Queen and the Pawn on c2.
All of this gives Black a very slight advantage.
The main point is White does not have his normal play for a kingside attack.

I haved played the KIA and KID for a very long time. Since I started chess in fact. I played the KID when I was rated 500. I have never changed openings. Even with my current ranking.

I played a6 which is a move normally played in a Sicilian Kan structure that I showed. It doesn't matter if its played or not you can play a 4th move to your chosing and it still wouldn't change the position becuase black doesn't have any huge advantage here.

I still do not see how you believe you have stopped e5 in this position?

Secondly you are under the assumpetion white needs to do a kingside attack. White can play in the center as well. With moves such as c3 and d4. with possible e5  pushes later on. His queen on e2 only exerts more pressure on the e file. How do you plan to punish it in this position?

And you are a very insulting fellow.

You can always resort to some less known handling of the French and so throw off your opponent with some odd novelties. For example 1. e4 e6 2. b3 with the idea of queen side castling and g4 etc. kingside attack. 1.e4 e6 2. f4 is also quite interesting.

X Player the above in red did not say anything about White playing d4 in the KIA. It mentioned White playing d4 "in an open game."

If you look up chess Kings Indian Attack there is a Wikipdia article which indicates the KIA is a White set up with the moves [after 1. e4 and against the French or Sicilian] of d3, Nd2, Nf3, g3,Bg2 in no particular order and the usual idea is to follow with e5 which gives White more space to do a king side attack.

 Well, actually White is not stopped from playing e5 in your positions but if he does play e5?  the e5 move will not be attacking a Knight and thus a loss of a whole tempo.  Also, if Black has played d6 rather than d5 then the move e5? will simply be met by e6 takes d5 and there goes White's spear head of a strong Pawn on e5.

The  point of the KIA is action on the kingside. However if White wants to eschew this possibility he can play in the center but then the Queen on e2 is misplaced. [and besides you do not have a KIA you usually have a close Sicilian]

You mentioned in  your position that "black doesn't have any huge advantage here." I never said he did. What I said is Black has a slight advantage in the position and by that time in the opening White [not Black] should have a slight advantage or at least a even game.

I find it funny that you are agruing that the Qe2 is misplaced and are trying to find ways of giving black the advantage by tranposing the line into a Sicilian instead of keeping it a French.

Do you not believe if blacks best effort is to tranpose out of a French. It might give the white player an advantage getting a French player out of his comfort zone? Into a whole different line. In which he may or may not know the theory of?

@Reb thanks for the minimal theory 3.Nc3 recommendations.

@Wernher, I have watched GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov's Chessbase DVDs on the 3.Nc3 French. It's a whopping three DVD set which seems to show how much theory there is.

I've realized something when I play the Old Indian set-up, what GM Nigel Davies calls "the Busy Person's Opening System". When I analyze my games later it shows I'm giving Black equality out of the opening and maybe even a slight advantage, then I'll get a slight advantage as White, then it will be equal, then one of us will get a slight advantage again, etc. And this slight advantage often fluctuates until someone makes an outright mistake or blunder. When my games are going like this I think it shows that I'm not quite good enough for getting a slight advantage out of the opening to matter. I think what matters more is not playing into an opening where my opponent has a lot more familiarity. Thus I will be continuing to use the Reversed Old Indian as White as a 1.e4 repertoire filler and focusing my studies on tactics/middlegame/endgame as they tell us to do from the beginning. I'll still study openings but perhaps one opening at a time, maybe one day a week.