french - tag
The most popular way to start the game is by moving the King’s pawn two squares forward. This move has been played for centuries and is the move that most beginners are taught to start with. It is one of the most correct first moves, as it opens two pieces, the Queen and the light-squared […]
Caro-Kann Structure Explained in Details: The pawn structure in the diagram above is very familiar in chess practice. It can arise from openings like Slav and Semi-Slav, Alekhine, Scandinavian, French, and of course Caro-Kann, the latter being the most common source of appearance. The special thing about such a structure is that although white has […]
Unpleasant Chess Openings: There comes a moment in every chess player’s game preparation when he is faced with a variation he would not really like to see on the board. Let us take as an example the situation when a King’s Indian player faces the prospect of playing against the Exchange Variation. In such a […]
Playing Better Blitz Chess: Quite often we have met club players who perform well in tournaments with classical time control and give a strong appearance of being underrated players. However, when the time trouble comes they tend to collapse quite easily. The same is seen at rapid and blitz events; some players can’t even finish […]
Guimard variation of the French Defense starts with the move 3…Nc6 against white’s solid 3.Nd2 known as the Tarrasch variation. Black’s idea is quite simple, but also logical. First, he develops a piece with tempo, attacking the center. When white defends the d4 pawn, say with 4.Ngf3, then he plays another developing move and renews […]
French Defense has always had a reputation of being a rock-solid choice against 1.e4, leading very often to closed positions full of central pawns in which both sides have a very clear game plan. Black attacks the base of the pawn chain on the queen-side or undermines the most advanced pawn (e5) by playing f6.
One of the main points of chess improvement is understanding the pawn structures that arise in each game. It is well known that the pawn structure is an indicator of where each side should play. However, sometimes things are not so determined; the position can have several other elements that demand action in a different […]
French Winawer: The French Defense is one of black’s most popular responses to 1.e4. From amateurs to masters, the popularity of this defense never stops increasing. The reason is that it gives black the opportunity to fight for the initiative from a very early stage of the game.
The French is among the most popular defenses against 1.e4 and for a good reason. It is a very solid choice, but at the same time quite aggressive. Black’s counterplay on either wing (this depends on the specific variation) offers him an opportunity to unbalance the game and take white into a very sharp and […]
