After 1.e4, the French Defense(1…e6) is the 3rd most popular option for Black, behind Sicilian(1...c5) and 1…e5.
Our own coach, GM Avetik Grigoryan, played it all his life with the Black pieces.
So there’s a good chance you’ll face it in many games and need to be well-prepared against it...
Moves like 3.Nc3(mainline), 3.Nd2(Tarrasch), 3.e5(Advanced French) are the most common replies. You can expect Black to be well-prepared there.
That’s why in this course, our Grandmasters offer a repertoire starting with 3.Bd3 (Schlechter Variation), which is relatively new, and often many French players aren’t well-prepared against it.
In the introduction video, GM Avetik narrates one of his stories when he had a hard time against the 3.Bd3 line.
Below are some of the positions from the course:
By the end, you’ll have a tournament-ready repertoire to fight the French with the White pieces, knowledge of the middlegame plans, and a collection of attacking ideas.
Let’s jump into the lesson!
What you'll learn
- A full repertoire to counter the French Defense after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Bd3, covering important variations, sidelines and ideas.
- Why 3.Bd3 is a powerful move, even if it breaks the opening principle of developing the Knight before the Bishop.
- White’s strange Knight maneuver, which looks like a blunder but has a deeper idea behind it.
- Model games to help you understand this opening better.
- Typical techniques of playing against Black’s bad Bishop in the French.
- How to play with the initiative and attack an enemy King stuck in the center and more.
Lesson Plan 113 episode(s)
Students give this course an average of 4.9 out of 5 stars.