Horwitz Attack

The Horwitz Attack meets 1...e6 with 2. b3, preparing Bb2 so that the queen's bishop bears down the long diagonal toward e5 and the black kingside. It is one of the rarer second moves against the French. By keeping the d-pawn back and building the game around the fianchetto, White sidesteps the large body of theory that follows 2. d4.

Black's usual answer, chosen in most games, is 2...d5, which strikes at e4 at once. Since b3 does nothing to protect that pawn, continuing 3. Bb2 leaves it en prise: after 3...dxe4 White has given up a pawn for development and pressure on the long diagonal, a line known as the Papa-Ticulat Gambit. Less common replies include 2...c5, a Sicilian-style setup, and 2...b6, which mirrors White's fianchetto. The engine considers the position roughly balanced, with a marginal preference for Black, yet on Lichess White has scored slightly better than Black and draws are rare.