Solid & Powerful Chess Opening For Black Against 1.e4 [Tricks & Traps]

Learn 3 Ways To Improve Your Chess Results
FREE Masterclass ►

Take Your Chess Skills To The Next Level With High-Quality Courses
Learn here ►

💰💲 Join the RCA Affiliate Program, promote our courses, and get 50% commission –

♛ Find the games/variations from this lesson in this blog post –

🔹 Powerful Chess Opening for Black Against 1.e4 [TRAPS Included] –

In this video lesson, GM Igor Smirnov presents to you one of the best chess openings for Black against 1.e4. The French Defense, which happens after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5, is a solid and powerful chess opening for Black.

You will learn the key advantages of the French Defense, the logical reason behind every move of Black, key ideas in the opening, and attacking plans in the middlegame. You can play this opening against beginners and also advanced-level opponents.

▬▬▬▬▬▬
► Chapters

00:00 Best Chess Opening For Black Against 1.e4
00:19 Why the French Defense is powerful
02:09 1) Advance Variation: 3.e5
04:00 Common mistake by White
06:19 If White plays Bd3 to prevent Nf5
10:49 If White plays Bb5, pinning Nc6
13:36 White loses castling rights or the bishop
17:26 Mainline played by experienced opponents
20:02 2) Exchange Variation: 3.exd5
22:02 3) Rubinstein Variation: 3.Nc3 dxe4

📗 Free chess courses –

#GMSmirnov #ChessOpenings #FrenchDefense #FrenchDefence

90 Comments

  1. I’ve been trying two knights variation with good results

  2. Much respect for you Igor you do depart with a lot of knowledge you have of the game helping people improve their game and giving pointers to think about two thumbs up 👍

  3. Just for the record the French have lost like every war they've ever fought in so idk if the French defense is something I'd rely on 🤣

  4. I tried this out after watching and immediately got 1.e4 e6 2. kf3 d5 3. e5 c5 4. b5+ lol.

  5. nice explain advance variation of french defense @ the best defense is to counter attack📙

  6. Best opening is 1e4 h5, 2.?? H4.

    Its the best cause it takes most people out of prep, and you just crush them in the midgame by playing fast and confident. Hikaru taught me that.

  7. Thanks a lot for the excellent explanation of the French defense for Black…

  8. Can you slow down you are speaking to novice

  9. Thank you for this interesting video. I liked the way you presented the options for white and I have looked at it several times to have a good grasp of the principles.

  10. While I do appreciate you covered everything, try not to move the pieces for obvious three moves that can be understood by just explaining them, like Qd4 because of Bb5 – moving the mouse would do just fine. Who doesn't understand should pause the video and analyze it personally.

  11. I love how just below this video is "how to crush the french defense"

  12. Amazing explanation, thank you for making me a better player

  13. I think people are trying to watch your videos during games now bro. They only have 10-15 minutes. They gotta learn to be a student of the game. Take your wins and losses. SMH Chess just ain't Chess no more huh 🤦‍♀️

  14. best move on e4 is e5 but requires a very VERY broad knowledge base
    better c5 e6 c6 good and solid

  15. Do you have d4? I dont like tactic very much, i kinda stuck in typical "1200" middle game blunder 🤣

  16. Isn't the french defense just asking the Americans for help?

  17. 20:46 when I make that move pinning the knight, my opponent usually kicks me with h3. Andy good counter moves for that?

  18. Damn or that is Wow! Been awhile so that was French to me lol

  19. historically even Bobby Fischer had trouble against the French D. thanks for giving the basic ideas Black can play here!

  20. Holy shit he’s not even thinking he just knows

  21. Great video. Might try the french in some friendlies. But I must say I'm a caro kann devotee 😅

  22. In some cases I have seen Be3 after black played Nc6 or after pushing white pawn to b3, Bishop to b2.

  23. I am a 700 rapid player (I mainly play the bots and do puzzles: I can beat a 1200 bot pretty much every game, a 1300 bot most of the time, and I'm 1800-1900 puzzles).
    I have only been playing chess for a couple of years, and, as an older player (61), I sometimes find the pace of YT videos too fast, but your explanations are well paced, calm and easy to follow (and very thorough as you explain why each move is good/bad).
    Next game as black I am definitely giving the French defence a try out instead of just playing 1 e5.
    I seem to remember Judit Polgar saying the French was the first defence she learnt.

  24. never thought Baim Wong is so good at chess

  25. Y don't play g4, or queen exchange when d4 in trouble

  26. 15:50 that arrow is my vision for HOW TO ATTACK FOR BISHOP AT 3 AM when my eyes are collapsing.. truly understandable

  27. in 7:32 what if instead of white playing white square bishop to c2 and plays dark square bishop to d3 it kinda ruins the whole plan of black. if the queen takes the pawn in d4 then queen takes pawn at b2 knight d2 then plan ruined cuz cant take rook queen is protecting it since the knight moved. what should i do??

  28. What is a chess Algorithm? and kind of equation ? Orders of Moves ? any type of Statistical calculation?

  29. Sir, Thank you so much, using this opening as black , I castled queen side, destroyed whites marching pawn onslaught towards center and shocked 1900 rating player on Lichess.

  30. At intermediate level I probably have a 90% win rate with white against the French after 1. e4 e6 2. b3 d5 3. Bb2. Whether black accepts the gambit or not, they're out of theory in 3 moves and I'm about to completely demolish them because I of course know the theory for both accepted or declined.

  31. Thank you for insightful tutorials. I typically prefer 10 minute games due to time constraints, however I don't find myself improving. It seems I may benefit from longer games. What length of game should I play to have more time to think through better moves? I'm a 1200 to 1500 player.

  32. Bobby Fisher use to say that E4 is the only opening move you should do.

  33. I have been playing french defence against e4 since 3 years ……and i have faced all these positions many a times in my games….well its a good summary to keep in mind while playing french defence ….i learned all these lines while analysing all my games from year to year …..you summafized it in 1 video …hats off to you …..earlier i followed dereque kelly videos how to counter different openings … it really practically worked for me

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *