French Defense: Advance Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5
What Is The Advance Variation?
With 3.e5 White grabs space and locks the pawn chain on d4 and e5. That chain cramps Black's kingside, takes f6 from the knight, and buries the c8 bishop behind its own pawns. The cost is a fixed target: the base on d4. The Advance Variation is a fight over the d4 pawn from move three, and every plan for both sides flows from it.
Black piles on d4 with c5, Nc6 and Qb6, then swings a knight to f5. White props the base with c3 and Nf3 and gains queenside space with a3 and b4. Games turn on tempo: stabilize d4 and White's space feeds a kingside attack; let Black land the f6 break and the chain collapses.
How Should You Respond To The French Defense: Advance Variation?
You are Black, and 78% play 3...c5 immediately, which is the only move that makes sense. White has taken space and locked the centre, so the pawn chain from e5 back to d4 and c3 needs attacking at its base, and c5 is that base.
Attack a pawn chain at its base, because the head of the chain is defended and the base is where the whole structure rests. After ...c5 comes ...Nc6 and ...Qb6, hitting d4 a third time and tying White down. Your light-squared bishop is the problem piece, so ...Bd7 to b5, or ...f6 to open lines for it, are the standard cures. Black actually scores 49% to 47% over 6,570 games here, the best French result in this section.
How Does Play Continue From Here?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| c5 | 78% | 6,164 | |
| Nc6 | 6% | 498 | |
| f6 | 3% | 263 | |
| Ne7 | 3% | 216 |
The Named Lines Of The Advance Variation
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Extended Bishop Swap | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bd7 |
| Frenkel Gambit | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4 |
| Nimzowitsch Attack | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Qg4 |
| Nimzowitsch System | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Nf3 |
| Steinitz Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5 |
| Kupreichik Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Be3 |
| Paulsen Attack | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 |
| Nimzowitsch Gambit | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Qg4 cxd4 5.Nf3 |
| Ruisdonk Gambit | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Nf3 cxd4 5.Bd3 |
| Euwe Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bd7 |
| Wade Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Qb6 5.Nf3 Bd7 |
| Main Line | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3 |
| Milner-Barry Gambit | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 |
| Lputian Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3 Nh6 |
| Milner-Barry Gambit, Hector Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.O-O Bd7 8.Re1 |
| Milner-Barry Gambit, Main Line | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.O-O |
| Milner-Barry Gambit, Sørensen Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.O-O Nxd4 9.Ng5 |