← French Defense

Practice: Classical Variation

Fighting for the centre

White pins the Nf6 with Bg5. Black plays solidly with ...Be7. Rich middlegame play follows with central tension ready to explode.

1. e4 e6
2. d4 d5
3. Nc3 Nf6
4. Bg5 Be7
♟

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Key strategic ideas

  • After 1.e4 e6, Black prepares to play ...d5 and challenge White's centre immediately. The pawn chain e4-d4 against e6-d5 shapes the entire game.
  • White often pushes e5 to gain space on the kingside. Black responds by attacking on the queenside with moves like ...c5 and ...b5.
  • Black's light-squared bishop is stuck behind the pawn chain. Finding a good spot for it (either trading it or slipping it out via ...Bd7-b5) is one of Black's biggest challenges.

Common mistakes & traps

  • In the Advance Variation, White's d4-c3-e5 chain looks intimidating, but Black must play ...c5 to break it. If Black wastes time, White gets a huge space advantage for free.
  • In the Winawer, after 3...Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+, Black should not fear giving up the bishop. Breaking White's centre is worth more than keeping the bishop.

Pawn structure notes

The pawn chain is locked: White has e5 and d4, Black has e6 and d5. White has more space on the kingside, Black on the queenside. The tension between d4 and d5 decides where the game goes.

Tips

  • Bg5 pins the Nf6, making the e5 advance even more threatening
  • Black can give up structure with ...dxe4 or maintain with ...Be7
  • After 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 White has space; Black has the bishop pair

About this line

This line is rated intermediate. Practice it repeatedly until you can play the entire sequence without thinking. The in-app trainer tracks your perfect streaks and celebrates milestones.