French Defence
chess opening 1. e4 e6
The French Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
1. e4 e6
This is most commonly followed by 2.d4 d5. Black usually plays ...c5 soon after, attacking White's pawn centre and gaining space on the queenside. The French has a reputation for solidity and resilience, although some lines such as the Winawer Variation can lead to sharp complications. Black's position is often somewhat cramped in the early game; in particular, the pawn on e6 can impede the development of the bishop on c8, known by many players as the "French bishop".
History
The French Defence is named after a match played by correspondence between the cities of London and Paris in 1834 (although earlier examples of games with the opening do exist). It was Jacques Chamouillet, one of the players of the Paris team, who persuaded the others to adopt this defence.
Along with other openings besides 1.e4 e5, the French Defence received relatively little attention until the twentieth century. The first world chess champion Wilhelm Steinitz said "I have never in my life played the French Defence, which is the dullest of all openings". In the early 20th century, Géza Maróczy was perhaps the first world-class player to make it his primary weapon against 1.e4.
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