French Defense: Classical Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6
What Is The Classical Variation?
The Classical Variation is Black's most natural reply to 3.Nc3: the knight develops to its best square and attacks e4, forcing White to commit immediately. 4.e5 drives the knight to d7 and fixes the familiar French chain, White's pawns on d4 and e5 against Black's on d5 and e6. 4.Bg5 keeps the tension instead, when 4...Be7 breaks the pin and 4...dxe4, the Burn Variation, trades central space for the bishop pair and a solid position.
The 4.e5 main lines are a race: White attacks on the kingside with space and f4-f5, while Black batters d4 with c5, Nc6 and Qb6 before that attack lands. Play the pawn breaks on time and the cramped position looks after itself; delay them one move and White's initiative decides the game.
How Should You Respond To The French Defense: Classical Variation?
54% push 5.e5 and 28% keep the tension with 5.Bg5. Black has developed the knight to f6 rather than pinning with ...Bb4, which is the solid, slightly slower version of the French and it invites you to gain space with tempo.
The knight on f6 is the piece that gives you your tempo, so push e5 and make it move again. After 5.e5 Nfd7 you have a big centre and a clear plan of f4 and Nf3, while Black has to generate ...c5 and ...f6 to break it. Do not rush the attack before castling. White scores 50% to 44% over 1,655 games, so the space advantage is worth having.
What Do Players Choose At The Decision Point?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf6 | 32% | 1,619 | |
| dxe4 | 28% | 1,410 | |
| Bb4 | 18% | 927 | |
| c5 | 12% | 611 |
How Does Play Continue From Here?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| e5 | 54% | 1,079 | |
| Bg5 | 28% | 555 | |
| exd5 | 7% | 147 | |
| Bd3 | 5% | 98 |
The Named Lines Of The Classical Variation
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Steinitz Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.f4 |
| Swiss Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bd3 |
| Delayed Exchange Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.exd5 |
| Normal Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 |
| Burn Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 |
| Shirov-Anand Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Nce2 |
| Richter Attack | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Bxf6 Bxf6 6.e5 Be7 7.Qg4 |
| Tartakower Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Ne4 |
| Vistaneckis Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Ng8 |
| Frankfurt Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Ng8 6.Be3 b6 |
| Burn Variation, Morozevich Line | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 gxf6 |
| Alapin Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.Nb5 |
| Pollock Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.Qg4 |
| Rubinstein Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.Qd2 |
| Tarrasch Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.Bd3 |
| Burn Variation, Main Line | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 Bxf6 7.Nf3 O-O |
| Stahlberg Variation | 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.f4 O-O 8.Nf3 c5 9.Qd2 Nc6 10.O-O-O c4 |