Chess opening · ECO C02
French Defense: Advance Variation
With 3.e5 White pushes past Black's d5 pawn and fixes the center. White now has a chain of pawns on d4 and e5 that grants extra space on the kingside, while Black's chain runs from e6 to d5. Neither side can easily move forward in the middle, so the game turns on pawn breaks: Black hits the chain with ...c5 and later ...f6, and White works to keep d4 standing.
- Rank by weighted share
- #67 of 159
Key moves
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5
- 3. e5The e5 pawn takes f6 and d6 away from Black's pieces, so a knight on f6 would be kicked at once. It also locks Black's light bishop behind e6. The cost is that White's d4 pawn, the base of the chain, now needs steady support.
Hitting the base on d4
A pawn chain is easiest to attack at its base. For White that base is d4, so Black plays ...c5 and piles up with ...Nc6 and ...Qb6. The queen on b6 also eyes the b2 pawn, which can tie White's c1 bishop down.
White's usual answer is c3, so that a capture on d4 can be met by a pawn, and Nf3 to add a piece. Moves like a3 and b4 sometimes follow, grabbing queenside space and taking c5 from Black.
The ...f6 lever against e5
Black's second break is ...f6, aimed at the head of the chain. It opens the f-file for a rook, and after an exchange on f6 a black knight can land on that square. It also loosens the black king, so Black usually prepares it with pieces first.
Pressure on d4 and b2
3... c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. a3
The c5 pawn and the c6 knight hit d4, the b6 queen backs them from behind c5, and it also eyes b2. White answers with c3 and Nf3, then a3 to prepare b4 and gain space on the queenside.
Top replies by rating
c5 leads every band and its share climbs steadily with rating. Nc6 runs a close second under 1200 but fades to almost nothing in the 1800 to 1999 band.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1200 | c5 33% | Nc6 29% | f6 14% |
| 1200–1399 | c5 53% | Nc6 18% | f6 8% |
| 1400–1599 | c5 75% | Nc6 8% | f6 4% |
| 1600–1799 | c5 87% | Nc6 3% | a6 2% |
| 1800–1999 | c5 95% | Nc6 1% | f5 1% |
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.