French Variation, Open

The Open line of the French Variation arises when White answers 2...e6 with the central break 3. d4 and Black captures with 3...cxd4. The exchange removes White's d-pawn in return for Black's c-pawn, so Black keeps two central pawns, on d7 and e6, against White's lone e4-pawn. The c-file is half-open for Black and the d-file for White. For the moment White is a pawn down, but regaining it is almost automatic. The position ranks among the hundred most frequently reached named openings. The engine gives White a slight edge, while in practice Black scores slightly better.

The usual continuation, chosen in the large majority of games, is 4. Nxd4, centralizing the knight and freeing both white bishops. White typically uses the extra kingside space and lead in development to attack. From d4 the knight eyes f5 and can back a pawn storm against a black king castled short. If White castles long, the knight sometimes drops back to b3 to shore up the queenside. Black relies on the central pawn majority and pressure along the c-file. Because the d-pawn has not yet moved, Black can still choose between keeping it on d6 or later striking with ...d5.

After 4. Nxd4 Black chooses a system: the Kan, the Paulsen, the Taimanov, the Four Knights, or 4...Nf6, which is classified as the Normal Variation. In the Taimanov, 4...Nc6, Black develops naturally and keeps the king's bishop flexible, aiming for b4 or c5. White can rule this out with 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4, a Maroczy Bind setup favored by Karpov. The more common choice today is 5. Nc3, after which 5...Nf6 gives the Four Knights and 5...d6 normally transposes to the Scheveningen, while 5...Qc7 and 5...a6 keep independent character.

White has two notable alternatives at move four. 4. c3 is the Smith-Morra Gambit Deferred. After 4...dxc3 5. Nxc3 Nc6 play joins the main line of the Smith-Morra, with White trading the pawn for development and an open c-file. It scores better for White than the other options, though it is rarely played. 4. Qxd4 recaptures at once with the queen, which can then be harassed by Black's developing moves; Black scores well against it. The engine also considers 4. Be2 a reasonable way to delay the recapture.