Advance Variation

The Advance Variation answers the French by pushing 3. e5, taking space, denying the g8-knight its natural f6-square and locking the center before Black can exchange on e4. The early clarification gives White a clear kingside plan, but it also hands Black a fixed target in d4. Nimzowitsch regarded it as White's strongest choice and contributed many of its ideas. It fell out of fashion for much of the twentieth century until Evgeny Sveshnikov revived it in the 1980s, and Alexander Grischuk has since used it with success at elite level. The straightforward plan and extra space also make it a common choice in club play.

Black almost always replies 3...c5, by far the most frequent move. Passive alternatives that obstruct the c-pawn, such as 3...Nc6, let White play comfortably, and Black scores noticeably worse after it. The central line is 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3, the Paulsen Attack, after which 5...Qb6 is the main move and 5...Bd7, the Euwe Variation, the chief alternative. The queen on b6 adds weight to the attack on d4 and eyes b2, so White cannot easily guard d4 with Be3. White's principal answers are 6. a3, 6. Be2 and 6. Bd3, the last being the Milner-Barry Gambit, where White gives up the d-pawn for rapid development.

The modern main line, 6. a3, prepares b4 to seize queenside space. Black can stop this with 6...c4, ready to capture en passant, producing a closed struggle over b3, for example 7. Nbd2 Na5 8. Rb1 Bd7. The Lputian Variation, 6...Nh6, heads for f5; if White doubles the pawns with Bxh6, Black is thought to stand well, since the king can shelter after ...Bg7 and ...O-O and White misses the dark-squared bishop. The g1-a7 diagonal also explains why an early f2-f4 is risky: after 4. c3 Nc6 5. f4 Qb6 6. Nf3 Nh6, the knight reaches f5 and the pressure on d4 becomes severe.

White has several fourth-move alternatives: 4. Nf3, the Nimzowitsch System; 4. dxc5, the Steinitz Variation; and 4. Qg4, the Nimzowitsch Attack, which can turn into the Nimzowitsch Gambit after 4...cxd4 5. Nf3. Within the c3 complex, 5. Be3 is the Kupreichik Variation, and Black may also choose 4...Qb6 5. Nf3 Bd7, the Wade Variation. At move three, Black sometimes addresses the French bishop directly with 3...Bd7, the Extended Bishop Swap, aiming to trade it via b5, as in 4. Nf3 a6 5. Bd3 Bb5 6. O-O Bxd3 7. Qxd3; 3...b6 has a similar purpose, while 3...f6 attacks e5 at once. Online results slightly favor Black, and the engine considers the position roughly level.