The French Offense ?....NOT really a defense @ all

....I mean think about it.

Let's say you play 1.e4 and they play 1...e6.

Then you play 2.d4.

This establishes the French Offense 'cuz you initiated it.

But if I played 1. d4 and you played 1...d5 then I played 2. e4 and you played 2...e6 ?

Then you've established the French Defense 'cuz you started it.

See how that works ?

French Offense aka French Attack is rather 1.e3 which is called Van't Kruijs opening here.

It's a bitcoin w/ (2) sides. 'Cuz it's as much of an Offense as it is a Defense.

So, whoever initiates it gets the name.

I'm not obliged to react "French Defensively" if someone plays 1...e6 at me. I could play just about anything else and take us away from the French - and still remain playably "sound".

I'm not talking about white initiating something with 1.e3.

I'm challenging the name "The French Defense" after, say,  e4 d5 d4 e6 'cuz it actually white who is dictating going into the book of the so-called "French Defense".

Hence, it should be called The French Offense. 

I LIKE it. and I get it.

French Defense sounds too passive...  and the e6 move signals the battle for d4.  (unless white chooses to exchange away the central pawn tension).

good topic!

TY GP !!

If you look at the top level games of the past, you find that white controls the pace and has an extraordinarily high score against black in doing so.

That's why they're wrong to call it the French Defense.

If you look at ECO's "C00" (so-called French Defense), you find it's established at:

1. e4  e6

Yet, this says nothing about white's second move, which, if white decides to play soundly elsewhere ?....then you have NO French Defense.

Again, white controls direction and therefore it should be called The French Offense. 

It's move #2 by white that actually consolidates it being a form of French.

Records indicate that White wins 40.4% of all French derived games at high level play. Black wins only 34.5%....with 24.9% resulting in draws.

Another really good reason it should be called the French Offense.

Remember, different from the Sicilian, where black has a stellar record against white and the Sicilian provides black a real & legitimate fighting effort.

Black isn't afforded any such luxury with the French.

As history proves, White controls the game & the above #'s shows that white controls the outcome.

The French Offense....start getting used to it everyone.

so would you say that we shouldn't call 2 exd4 the french Anything.

call it "e pawn exchange " or something and leave the french offense to being all Other e4 e6 variations, espacially where the e pawn advances to e5 and black counterattacks the d4 square.

this makes sense to me as the exchange variation takes the game in a very different direction and both white and blacks strategic goals seem different to me...

Totally agree.

See ?....the name is all messed up !

My dear Lola...I can't believe I have again to put my self in a situation to disagree with you. It's devastated.

With broken heart and tears all over the place, I have to inform you that in chess is the second player who decide the nature of the opening and how to defend on White's first move. After 1.e4 black can counter this move with many ways, playable or less one. The desicion to do that it's a defensive nature of the game because chess is not all about taking material but also contest space and time.

After 1.e4 black can play 1...d5 counter attacking the e pawn but the game does not stop there, so what black do is a defensive reaction to any possible Whites second move.

The defensive nature of the move 1...e6 is that prepares the move 2...d5 to contest the center by possessing the d5 square. If White plays 3.exd5 then 3...exd5 leaves black with a center pawn on d5.

This mechanism and idea, it's a defensive against Whites first move to attack the center by occupying the central squares. What the first player decides is the line of variation complexity the game will continue.

So, let's say I play 1.d4 then 1...e6.

It's a French ?....absolutely not. It's now up to white to decide if it will be a French (Offense) with 2. e4.

Krottichops & tranformations aside........ 

white has a 60% chance of not winning. That sounds pretty defensive to me.

e4 e6 Nf3 d5 Nc3 is the two knights french, for example.

After 1.d4 e6 the second player is in pleasant situation to decide how to defend against Whites next move. If White plays 2.c4 which is the most natural then 2...d5 is the Queens gambit declined defense transformation. If 2.c4 f5 black plays a Dutch defense! not offense. Because the move its a reaction, a mechanism.

After 1.d4 e6 2.e4 it's a game where the first player remind him self that he is not so well prepared to play against QGD positions or Dutch defense and say : let's change to the Kings pawn openings. Now if you look when was the last time played this sequence or how frequently, I am not sure you will be satisfied with the outcome.

QGD and dutchs don't have early e4, but I guess the theme of this topic is to be silly.