The French Defense in chess is an aggressive counterattack by black against the standard 1.e4 ("King Pawn") opening by White.
This French Defense consists of the following:
- 1. e4 e6
With this 1...e6 move black bolsters its a2-g8 diagonal, which can otherwise be a weakness. But this has a defect in trapping the black queen's bishop.
This French Defense is the second-most popular defense by black, after the Sicilian Defense (1...e5), in response to the oft-used 1.e4 opening by white.[1]
Drawback
A drawback to the French Defense is the following predictable exchange, which tends to lead to a draw (which may be good for Black):
1.e4 e6
2.d4 d5
3.exd5 exd5