Editing French Defence (section)

===3.Nc3===
Played in over 40% of all games after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5, 3.Nc3 is the most commonly seen line against the French. Black has three main options, 3...Bb4 (the '''Winawer Variation'''), 3...Nf6 (the '''Classical Variation'''), and 3...dxe4 (the '''Rubinstein Variation'''). An eccentric idea is 3...Nc6{{chesspunc|!?}} 4.Nf3 Nf6 with the idea of 5.e5 Ne4; German [[International Master]] Helmut Reefschlaeger has been fond of this move. It is incredibly dense in theory.

====Winawer Variation: 3...Bb4 <span class="anchor" id="Winawer Variation"></span>====<!-- This section is linked from [[Aron Nimzowitsch]] -->
This variation, named after [[Szymon Winawer]] and pioneered by Nimzowitsch and Botvinnik, is one of the main systems in the French, due chiefly to the latter's efforts in the 1940s, becoming the most often seen rejoinder to 3.Nc3, though in the 1980s, the Classical Variation with 3...Nf6 began a revival, and has since become more popular.

{{Chess diagram
| tright
|
|rd|nd|bd|qd|kd|  |nd|rd
|pd|pd|  |  |  |pd|pd|pd
|  |  |  |  |pd|  |  |
|  |  |pd|pd|pl|  |  |
|  |  |  |pl|  |  |  |
|pl|  |pl|  |  |  |  |
|  |  |pl|  |  |pl|pl|pl
|rl|  |bl|ql|kl|bl|nl|rl
| Winawer Variation after 3...Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3
}}
3...Bb4 [[Pin (chess)|pins]] the knight on c3, forcing White to resolve the central tension. White normally clarifies the central situation for the moment with 4.e5, gaining space and hoping to show that Black's b4-bishop is misplaced. The main line then is: 4...c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3, resulting in the diagrammed position.

While White has [[doubled pawns]] on the queenside, which form the basis for Black's counterplay, they can also help White since they strengthen his centre and give him a semi-open b-file. White has a spatial advantage on the kingside, where Black is even weaker than usual because he has traded off his {{chessgloss|dark-square bishop}}. Combined with the bishop pair, this gives White attacking chances, which he must attempt to use as the long-term features of this pawn structure favour Black.

In the diagrammed position, Black most frequently plays 6...Ne7 (The main alternative is 6...Qc7, which can simply [[Transposition (chess)|transpose]] to main lines after 7.Qg4 Ne7, but Black also has the option of 7.Qg4 f5 or ...f6. 6...Qa5 has recently become a popular alternative). Now White can exploit the absence of Black's dark-square bishop by playing 7.Qg4, giving Black two choices: he may sacrifice his kingside pawns with 7...Qc7 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 cxd4 but destroy White's centre in return, the so-called "[[Poisoned Pawn Variation]]"; or he can play 7...0-0 8.Bd3 Nbc6, which avoids giving up material, but leaves the king on the flank where White is trying to attack. A more recent alternative is 7...Kf8, which tries to make use of the locked pawn centre (the king is safe from central attacks, and can run away from a kingside attack). Experts on the 7.Qg4 line include [[Judit Polgár]].

If the tactical complications of 7.Qg4 are not to White's taste, 7.Nf3 and 7.a4 are good positional alternatives, and 7.h4 is a more aggressive attempt:

7.Nf3 is a natural developing move, and White usually follows it up by developing the king's bishop to d3 or e2 (occasionally to b5) and castling kingside. This is called the Winawer Advance Variation. This line often continues 7...Bd7 8.Bd3 c4 9.Be2 Ba4 10.0-0 Qa5 11.Bd2 Nbc6 12.Ng5 h6 13.Nh3 0-0-0. Its assessment is unclear, but most likely Black would be considered "comfortable" here.

The purpose behind 7.a4 is threefold: it prepares Bc1–a3, taking advantage of the absence of Black's dark-square bishop. It also prevents Black from playing ...Qa5–a4 or ...Bd7–a4 attacking c2, and if Black plays ...b6 (followed by ...Ba6 to trade off the bad bishop), White may play a5 to attack the b6-pawn. World Champions [[Vasily Smyslov]] and [[Bobby Fischer]] both used this line with success.

White also has 7.h4, which has the ideas of either pushing this pawn to h6 to cause more dark-square weaknesses in the Black kingside (if Black meets h5 with ...h6, White can play g4–g5), or getting the rook into the game via Rh3–g3.

Black can also gain attacking chances in most lines: against 7.Qg4, Black will attack White's king in the centre; whereas against the other lines, Black can often gain an attack with ...0-0-0, normally combined with ...c4 to close the queenside, and then ...f6 to open up the kingside, where White's king often resides. If Black can accomplish this, White is often left without meaningful play, although ...c4 does permit White a4 followed by Ba3 if Black has not stopped this by placing a piece on a4 (for example, by Bd7–a4).

=====Sidelines=====
5th-move deviations for White include:
* 5.Qg4
* 5.dxc5
* 5.Nf3
* 5.Bd2

4th-move deviations for White include:
* 4.exd5 exd5, transposing to a line of the Exchange Variation, where White may aim to prove that Black's bishop on b4 is misplaced.
* 4.Ne2 (the Alekhine Gambit) 4...dxe4 5.a3 Be7 (5...Bxc3+ is necessary if Black wants to try to hold the pawn) 6.Nxe4 to prevent Black from doubling his pawns.
* 4.Bd3 defending e4.
* 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 dxe4 6.Qg4, another attempt to exploit Black's weakness on g7.
* 4.e5 c5 5.Bd2, again preventing the doubled pawns and making possible 6.Nb5, where the knight may hop into d6 or simply defend d4.
* 4.Bd2 (an old move sometimes played by [[Rashid Nezhmetdinov]], notably against [[Mikhail Tal]])

Deviations for Black include:
* 4...Ne7 although this move usually transposes to the main line.
* 4...b6 followed by ...Ba6, or 4...Qd7 with the idea of meeting 5.Qg4 with 5...f5. Theory currently prefers White's chances in both lines.
* Another popular way for Black to deviate is 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Ba5, the Armenian Variation, as its theory and practice have been much enriched by players from that country, the most notable of whom is [[Rafael Vaganian]]. Black maintains the pin on the knight, which White usually tries to break by playing 6.b4 cxb4 7.Qg4 or 7.Nb5 (usually 7.Nb5 bxa3+ 8.c3 Bc7 9.Bxa3 and White has the upper hand).

====Classical Variation: 3...Nf6 <span class="anchor" id="Classical Variation"></span>====
This is another major system in the French. This position was seen as so normal so no-one thought about claiming it.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sterran |title=Fundamental Chess Openings |publisher=Gambit Publications |isbn=9781906454135 |pages=355}}</ref> White can continue with the following options:

=====4.Bg5=====
{{Chess diagram 
| tright
|
|rd|nd|bd|qd|kd|bd|  |rd
|pd|pd|pd|  |  |pd|pd|pd
|  |  |  |  |pd|nd|  |
|  |  |  |pd|  |  |bl|
|  |  |  |pl|pl|  |  |
|  |  |nl|  |  |  |  |
|pl|pl|pl|  |  |pl|pl|pl
|rl|  |  |ql|kl|bl|nl|rl
|Classical Variation after 3...Nf6 4.Bg5
}}
White threatens 5.e5, attacking the pinned knight. Black has a number of ways to meet this threat.

======Burn Variation: 4...dxe4 <span class="anchor" id="Burn Variation"></span>======
Named after [[Amos Burn]], the Burn Variation is the most common reply at the top level. 4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 and usually there now follows: 5...Be7 6.Bxf6 Bxf6 7.Nf3 Nd7 or 7...0-0, resulting in a position resembling those arising from the Rubinstein Variation. Here Black has the bishop pair, however, with greater dynamic chances (although White's knight is well placed on e4), so this line is more popular than the Rubinstein and has long been a favourite of [[Evgeny Bareev]]. Black can also try 5...Be7 6.Bxf6 gxf6, as played by [[Alexander Morozevich]] and [[Gregory Kaidanov]]; by following up with ...f5 and ...Bf6, Black obtains active piece play in return for his shattered pawn structure. Another line that resembles the Rubinstein is 5...Nbd7 6.Nf3 Be7 (6...h6 is also tried) 7.Nxf6+ Bxf6.

======4...Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 <span class="anchor" id="Alekhine–Chatard Attack"></span><span class="anchor" id="Albin–Chatard Attack"></span>======
{{Chess diagram 
| tright
|
|rd|nd|bd|  |kd|  |  |rd
|  |pd|pd|nd|qd|pd|pd|
|pd|  |  |  |pd|  |  |pd
|  |  |  |pd|pl|  |  |
|  |  |  |pl|  |pl|pl|pl
|  |  |nl|  |  |  |  |
|pl|pl|pl|  |  |  |  |
|rl|  |  |ql|kl|bl|nl|rl
|Alekhine–Chatard Attack Declined, White forces an attack after 6...h6 7.Bxe7 Qxe7 8.f4 a6 9.g4.
}}
* 4...Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 used to be the main line, even though the Burn Variation has overtaken it in popularity. The usual continuation is 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.f4 0-0 (not 7...c5? 8.Nb5!) 8.Nf3 c5, when White has a number of options, including 9.Bd3, 9.Qd2 and 9.dxc5.
* An alternative for White is the [[gambit]] 6.h4, which was devised by [[Adolf Albin]] and played by Chatard, but not taken seriously until the game [[Alexander Alekhine|Alekhine]]&ndash;[[Hans Fahrni|Fahrni]], Mannheim 1914. It is known today as the '''Albin–Chatard Attack''' or the '''Alekhine–Chatard Attack'''. After 6...Bxg5 7.hxg5 Qxg5 8.Nh3 Qe7 9.Qg4 g6 10.Ng5 (the reason for 8.Nh3 rather than 8.Nf3 is to play Qg4), White has sacrificed a pawn to keep the black king in the centre, as castling neither queenside nor kingside appears safe. Another point of the gambit is that Black's natural French Defence move 6...c5 runs into 7.Bxe7 when Black must either move the king with 7...Kxe7 or allow 7...Qxe7 8.Nb5! with a dual threat of Nc7+, winning the rook on a8, and Nd6+, when Black's king must move and the knight is very strong on d6. Black may decline the gambit in several ways such as 6...a6 and 6...h6. After 6...a6, White can continue to play for an attack with the aggressive 7.Qg4! threatening Bxe7 and then Qxg7. Black is forced to eliminate the bishop with 7...Bxg5 8.hxg5, opening up the h-file. A wild game with unsafe kings is sure to ensue. 6...h6 is a safer declination of the sacrifice, forcing the bishop to trade with 7.Bxe7 Qxe7 after which White may continue to try to attack on the kingside in anticipation of Black castling kingside (since queenside castling is undesirable due to the need for c5) with 8.f4 a6 9.g4 with a menacing attack.

======McCutcheon Variation: 4...Bb4 <span class="anchor" id="McCutcheon Variation"></span>======
A third choice for Black is to counterattack with the McCutcheon Variation. In this variation, the second player ignores White's threat of e4–e5 and instead plays 4...Bb4. The main line continues: 5.e5 h6 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Qg4. At this point Black may play 8...g6, which weakens the kingside dark squares but keeps the option of castling queenside, or 8...Kf8. An alternative way White can treat 5...h6 is to carry through with the threat with 6.exf6 hxg5 7.fxg7 Rg8. The McCutcheon Variation is named for John Lindsay McCutcheon of [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] (1857–1905), who brought the variation to public attention when he used it to defeat [[World Chess Championship|World Champion]] Steinitz in a [[simultaneous exhibition]] in [[Manhattan]] in 1885.<ref>[[Tim Harding (chess)|T.D. Harding]], ''French: MacCutcheon'' {{sic}} ''and Advance Lines'', Batsford, 1979, pp. 12, 56. {{ISBN|0-7134-2026-X}}.</ref><ref>Although many sources refer to John Lindsay McCutcheon and his [[eponym]]ous variation as "MacCutcheon", "McCutcheon" is the correct spelling. [[Jeremy Gaige]], ''Chess Personalia'', McFarland & Company, 1987, pp. 260, 275. {{ISBN|0-7864-2353-6}}; {{cite book |last1=Hooper |first1=David |author-link1=David Vincent Hooper |last2=Whyld |first2=Kenneth |author-link2=Kenneth Whyld |title=The Oxford Companion to Chess |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |edition=2nd |year=1996 |orig-year=First pub. 1992 |contribution=Milner-Barry Gambit |pages=240, 478 n. 1205 |isbn=978-0-19-280049-7 |title-link=The Oxford Companion to Chess }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1296635 |title=Wilhelm Steinitz vs. John Lindsay McCutcheon (1885) |website=[[Chessgames.com]] }}</ref> It reached the height of its popularity from 1905 until 1925.  After that it disappeared from public eye until it was revived in 1990.<ref>Sterran. Fundamental Chess Openings. Gambit Publications. ISBN 9781906454135.</ref>

=====Steinitz Variation: 4.e5 <span class="anchor" id="Steinitz Variation"></span>=====
{{Chess diagram 
| tright
|
|rd|nd|bd|qd|kd|bd|  |rd
|pd|pd|pd|nd|  |pd|pd|pd
|  |  |  |  |pd|  |  |
|  |  |  |pd|pl|  |  |
|  |  |  |pl|  |  |  |
|  |  |nl|  |  |  |  |
|pl|pl|pl|  |  |pl|pl|pl
|rl|  |bl|ql|kl|bl|nl|rl
|Steinitz Variation after 4.e5 Nfd7
}}
Named after [[Wilhelm Steinitz]], the Steinitz Variation continues with 4.e5 Nfd7. Here 5.Nce2, the [[Alexei Shirov|Shirov]]–[[Viswanathan Anand|Anand]] Variation, prepares to bolster the white pawn centre with c2–c3 and f2–f4; while 5.Nf3 transposes to a position also reached via the Two Knights Variation (2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.d4). The main line of the Steinitz is 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3. (Instead 7.Ne2 transposes to the Shirov–Anand Variation, while 7.Be2{{chesspunc|?}} cxd4 8.Nxd4 Ndxe5! 9.fxe5 Qh4+ wins a pawn for Black.) Here Black may step up the pressure on d4 by playing 7...Qb6 or 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Qb6, begin queenside play with 7...a6 8.Qd2 b5, or continue kingside development by playing 7...Be7 or 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5. Another side-line for 7...cxd4 is 8.Nxd4 Bc5 9. Qd2 Bxd4 10.Bxd4 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 Qb6 12.Qxb6 Nxb6, This line has been referred to as the Vacuum Cleaner Variation.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sterran |title=Fundamental Chess Openings |publisher=Gambit Publications |isbn=9781906454135}}</ref> In these lines, White has the option of playing either Qd2 and 0-0-0, or Be2 and 0-0, with the former typically leading to {{chessgloss|sharper}} positions due to opposite-side castling when Black castles kingside in both cases.
{{Clear}}

====Rubinstein Variation: 3...dxe4 <span class="anchor" id="Rubinstein Variation"></span>====
{{Chess diagram
| tright
|
|rd|nd|bd|qd|kd|bd|nd|rd
|pd|pd|pd|  |  |pd|pd|pd
|  |  |  |  |pd|  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |pl|nl|  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|pl|pl|pl|  |  |pl|pl|pl
|rl|  |bl|ql|kl|bl|nl|rl
| Rubinstein Variation after 3...dxe4 4.Nxe4
}}
This variation is named after [[Akiba Rubinstein]] and can also arise from a different move order: 3.Nd2 dxe4. White has freer development and more space in the centre, which Black intends to neutralise by playing c7–c5 at some point. This solid line has undergone a modest revival, featuring in many [[Grandmaster (chess)|grandmaster]] (GM) games as a drawing weapon but theory still gives White a slight edge. After 3...dxe4 4.Nxe4, Black has the following options:
* The mainline 4...Nd7 (the most frequent high-level exponent of this variation is [[Georg Meier (chess player)|Georg Meier]]). Play might typically proceed 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 when Black is ready for ...c5.
* 4...Bd7 5.Nf3 Bc6 (the Fort Knox Variation) activating the light-square bishop, which is often played by [[Alexander Rustemov]].
{{Clear}}

====Hecht Reefschlager Variation: 3...Nc6 <span class="anchor" id="Hecht Reefschlager Variation"></span>====
3...Nc6 is the Hecht Reefschlager Variation, a name coined by [[John L. Watson|John Watson]].<ref>Watson (2007), p. 144</ref> This sideline has been played by [[Aron Nimzowitsch]] and many other players.

====Rare sidelines after 3.Nc3====
One rare sideline after 3.Nc3 is 3...c6, which is known as the Paulsen Variation, after [[Louis Paulsen]]. It can also be reached via a [[Caro–Kann Defence]] move order (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 e6).