Sicilian Defense: French Variation

The French Variation of the Sicilian Defense is 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6. With 2...e6 Black gives priority to developing the dark-squared bishop.

Main lines after 3.d4

After 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Black has three main moves:

• 4...Nc6, the Taimanov Variation.
• 4...a6, the Kan Variation.
• 4...Nf6, after which 5.Nc3 is played; 5.e5 runs into 5...Qa5+. Black can then transpose to the Scheveningen Variation with 5...d6, play 5...Nc6, the Four Knights Variation, or play 5...Bb4, the Pin Variation. The Pin Variation is considered theoretically suspect, though if White is unprepared the tactics can be hard to calculate at the board; 6.e5! is White's most testing reply.

Without 3.d4

White does not have to open the position.

• 3.d3 aims for a King's Indian Attack set-up with g3 and Bg2. Bobby Fischer used it to crush Oscar Panno in a famous game at Buenos Aires 1970.
• 3.c3 transposes to the Alapin Variation after 3...Nf6, or to the French Defense after 3...d5 4.e5 Nc6 5.d4, though 4...d4 is stronger.
• 3.c4 transposes to the Symmetrical English.
• 3.Nc3 is sometimes played as a waiting move but has little independent significance, and 3.b3 is a rare try that Heikki Westerinen played in the 1970s.

The numbers

On Lichess Black wins 48.5% of the 40 million games and White 46.6%. Black is ahead up to 2199, 49.2% against 47.4% under 1400; from 2200 up White edges ahead, 47.0% against 46.0%. In 115,430 master games over the board White won 34.4%, Black 28.3%, and 37.4% were drawn.