Editing French Defence (section)

==Early deviations for White==
After 1.e4 e6, the main variation continues 2.d4 d5, but White can try other ideas.

* 2.d3 is usually played with the idea of adopting a [[King's Indian Attack]] setup after 2...d5 3.Nd2 (or 3.Qe2). It has been used by many leading players over the years, including GMs [[Pal Benko]], [[Bobby Fischer]], [[Leonid Stein]], and [[Lev Psakhis]]. White will likely play Ngf3, g3, Bg2, 0-0, c3 and/or Re1 in some order on the next few moves. Black may combat this setup with 3...c5 followed by ...Nc6, ...Nf6, ...Be7, and ...0-0; developing the kingside by ...Bd6 and ...Nge7 is also playable.  3...Nf6 4.Ngf3 Nc6 plans ...dxe4 and ...e5 to block in the Bg2, and 3...Nf6 4.Ngf3 b6 makes ...Ba6 possible if White's light-square bishop leaves the a6–f1 diagonal.  Black may defer ...d5, and play 2...c5 and 3...Nc6, developing the kingside by ...g6, ...Bg7, and ...Nge7, or less commonly, by ...Nf6, ...Be7, and (if White's knight goes to d2) ...d6.
* 2.f4 is the La Bourdonnais Variation, named after [[Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais]], the 19th-century French master.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.365chess.com/opening.php?m=4&n=209&ms=e4.e6.f4&ns=3.16.209|title=C00: French, Labourdonnais variation – 1. e4 e6 2. f4 – Chess Opening explorer|website=www.365chess.com}}</ref> Play can continue 2...d5 3. e5 c5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5.c3 Nge7 6.Na3 Nf5.
* 2.Qe2 is the [[Mikhail Chigorin|Chigorin]] Variation, which discourages 2...d5 because after 3.exd5 the black pawn is pinned, meaning Black would need to recapture with the queen. Black usually replies 2...c5, after which play can resemble the 2.d3 variation or the Closed Variation of the [[Sicilian Defence]].
* 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 is the Two Knights Variation: 3...d4 and 3...Nf6 are good replies for Black.
* 2.c4 (attempting to discourage 2...d5 by Black) is the Steiner Variation. But Black can reply 2...d5 anyway, when after 3.cxd5 exd5 4.exd5 Nf6 the only way for White to hold on to his extra pawn on d5 is to play 5.Bb5+. Black gets good compensation in return for the pawn, however.
* 2.Bb5 has occasionally been tried. Notably, [[Henry Bird (chess player)|Henry Bird]] defeated [[Max Fleissig]] with the variation during the [[Vienna 1873 chess tournament]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chesstempo.com/gamedb/game/2183872/rnbqkbnr/pppp1ppp/4p3/1B6/4P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK1NR+b+KQkq+-+1+2|title=Bird, Henry – Fleissig, Max 1873, Vienna, Vienna|website=chesstempo.com}}</ref>
* 2.b3 leads to the [[Richard Réti|Réti]] Gambit after 2...d5 3.Bb2 dxe4, but Black can also decline it with 3...Nf6 4.e5 Nd7 with White going for f4 and Qg4 before putting the knight on f3.
* 2.e5 the [[Wilhelm Steinitz|Steinitz]] Attack, offers no advantage to White after 2...d6; alternatively 2...d5 3.d4 transposes into the Advance Variation.

There are also a few rare continuations after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5, including 3.Bd3 (the [[Carl Schlechter|Schlechter]] Variation), 3.Be3 (the Alapin Gambit), and 3.c4 (the [[Emil Josef Diemer|Diemer]]–[[Andreas Duhm|Duhm]] Gambit, which can also be reached via the [[Queen's Gambit Declined]]).