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French, Advance (C02)
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5

Number of games in database: 8620
Years covered: 1620 to 2023
Overall record:
   White wins 38.8%
   Black wins 34.3%
   Draws 26.9%

Popularity graph, by decade

Explore this opening  |  Search for sacrifices in this opening.
PRACTITIONERS
With the White Pieces With the Black Pieces
Harmen Jonkman  129 games
Evgeny Sveshnikov  96 games
Sergei Movsesian  76 games
Alexei Barsov  47 games
Ivan Farago  45 games
Viktor Korchnoi  42 games
NOTABLE GAMES [what is this?]
White Wins Black Wins
Nimzowitsch vs A Hakansson, 1922
Nimzowitsch vs Salwe, 1911
G Gundersen vs A H Faul, 1928
J McConnell vs Morphy, 1850
Bondarevsky vs Botvinnik, 1941
Paulsen vs Tarrasch, 1888
<< previous chapter next chapter >>

 page 1 of 345; games 1-25 of 8,620 
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Greco vs NN 1-0181620Miscellaneous gameC02 French, Advance
2. NN vs Greco 0-1501620Miscellaneous gameC02 French, Advance
3. Antwerp vs Amsterdam 0-1471827City MatchC02 French, Advance
4. Staunton vs W M Popert 0-1381840MatchC02 French, Advance
5. W M Popert vs Staunton 0-1571840MatchC02 French, Advance
6. G Perigal vs La Bourdonnais  0-1491840Odds gameC02 French, Advance
7. G Perigal vs La Bourdonnais  1-0521840Odds gameC02 French, Advance
8. W M Popert vs Staunton 1-0231841LondonC02 French, Advance
9. Cochrane vs Staunton 0-1261841Casual gameC02 French, Advance
10. A Zerega vs J Thompson  ½-½321845New York Chess Club MatchC02 French, Advance
11. Haarlem vs Rotterdam 1-0301846City MatchC02 French, Advance
12. E Lowe vs H Kennedy 1-0351848Kennedy - Lowe mC02 French, Advance
13. E Flower vs E Williams 0-1601849Ries' Divan TournamentC02 French, Advance
14. Anderssen vs J Schlesinger 0-1301849Double blindfold gameC02 French, Advance
15. J McConnell vs Morphy 0-1141850New OrleansC02 French, Advance
16. H Kloos vs W Bruijn  1-0491851AmsterdamC02 French, Advance
17. J S Mucklow vs E Williams 0-1291851LondonC02 French, Advance
18. Mohishunder vs Cochrane  0-1221855CalcuttaC02 French, Advance
19. Mohishunder vs Cochrane  1-0521855CalcuttaC02 French, Advance
20. Somacarana vs Cochrane  0-1611855CalcuttaC02 French, Advance
21. K Hamppe vs Jaray  0-1531855Vienna mC02 French, Advance
22. S Leow vs B Wolff  1-0621856BerlinC02 French, Advance
23. Somacarana vs Cochrane 0-1131856CalcuttaC02 French, Advance
24. S Leow vs Bendix  0-1471856BerlinC02 French, Advance
25. A Meek vs W Fuller 0-12418571st American Chess Congress, New YorkC02 French, Advance
 page 1 of 345; games 1-25 of 8,620 
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 9 OF 9 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Apr-06-10  aktajha: <keypusher> Did you observe the difference in the Korchnoi and Bronstein games? I don't understand what Kupreichik is doing, why develop like that, with immediately Bd3. Ok, in a normal advance this is perfectly ok, but here: black obviously wants to play Ba6, why lose a tempo?
Apr-06-10  James Demery: aktajha: I don`t like the trade down and simplify brand of chess, but I`m very limited in my study time as well so there is my dilemma. I`d like a fairly straghtforward system with not a lot of exchanges.
Apr-10-10  aktajha: Then I'd suggest the King's Indian attack. Fairly straigtforward in the opening, while the middlegame poses enough possibility for creativity:

1. e4 2. d3 3. nd2, continue with nf3, g3, bg2 and 0-0. You can play for king side attack with something like Nh4, f5, Qe1 etc. or play with pressure in the centre.

Jul-25-10  MaxxLange: Question about the Milner-Barry Gambit:

After 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 Nc6 5 Nf3 Qb6 6 Bd3 cxd4 7 cxd4 Bd7 8 0-0 Nxd4 9 Nxd4 Qxd4 10 Nc3 Qxe5!? 11 Re1

theory seems to recommend 11...Qb8 12 Nxd5. But, after 11...Qd6 12 Nb5 Qb6, White doesn't seem to have anything better than 13 Be3 Qa5 14 Bd2 Qb6. Is that right? White can avoid the draw with 15 a4, 15, Qe2, 15 Nc3, or 15 Be3 Qa5 14 Nd4.....none of which look all that great

Jul-25-10  whiteshark: <MaxxLange> To answer your question with a question: Why should black go for a line (11...Qd6) that leads only to a move repetition?

11...Qb8 or earlier 10... a6 are well known paths for more.

Aug-29-10  parisattack: <MaxxLange>

Here is what I find in Jim Bickford's unpublished tome on the M-B:

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 Nc6 5 Nf3 Qb6 6 Bd3 cd4 7 cd4 Bd7 8 00 Nd4 9 Nd4 Qd4 10 Nc3 Qe5 11 Re1 Qd6 12 Nb5 Qb6

13 Be3 ---

13 a4.

13 Nc3 Nf6 14 Bg5 Be7 15 Bf6 Bf6 16 Nd5 Qd8 17 Qf3 Rb8 18 Nf6 Qf6 19 Qf6 gf6 20 Rac1 Rc8 21 f4 00 22 Rcd1 f5 23 h3 a6 24 g4 fg4 25 hg4 h6 0:1. 57. Chaudret-Laussac, FRA 2001.

13 Qb3 Bc5 14 Be3 Be3 15 Re3 a6 16 Na3 Qb3 17 ab3 Nf6 0:1 Cisler-Havik, Plzen 2004.

13 --- Qa5

13...Qd8 see GAME 10.16.

13...Bc5 14 Bc5 Qc5 15 Rc1 Qe7 16 Nc7 Kf8 17 Na8 Bc6 18 b4 a6 19 Nb6 Qb4 20 Qb3 Qg4 21 Qa3 Ne7 22 Qd6 1:0 Steinhauser-Nervisyan, CZE 2003.

14 Bd2 ---

½:½ Adorjan-Farago, Hastings 1977.

14 a4 a6 15 Bd2 Qd8 16 Bg5 Nf6 17 Nc3 Be7 18 Bf6 Bf6 19 Nd5 00 20 Nf6 Qf6 21 Bh7 Kh7 22 Qd7 Rfd8 23 Qb7 Rab8 24 Qe4 g6 25 Rad1 ½ Mololkina-Molkova, RUS 2001.

14 Qb3 Nf6 15 Bf4 Rc8 16 Nd6 Bd6 17 Bd6 Qb6 18 Qa3 Rc6 19 Bb8 a6 20 h3 Qc5 21 Qb3 b5 22 Bf4 00 23 a4 ba4 24 Qa4 Rb6 25 Qa2 Qb4 26 Be5 Bb5 27 Bc3 Qd6 28 Bd4 Bd3 29 Bb6 Qb6 30 Qa3 Bb5 1:0, 76. Bjelajac-Bornemann, Canarias 2004.

14 --- Qb6

14...Qd8 see GAME 10.17.

14...Bb4.

15 Be3 ---

½:½ Bademian-Delgado, Buenos Aires 1978.

The text essentially informs Black that White is willing to settle for a draw by repetition. More adventurous is:

15 a4

15...Nf6 16 a5 Qd8 17 Bf4 Rc8 18 Na7.

15...a6 16 a5 Qd8 17 Nd4 Nf6 18 Qf3 Bc5 19 Bc3 00 20 Nb3 Bd6 21 Nd2 Bc6 0:1 Babkin-Kinkelin, IECG 2003

15 --- Qa5

15...Qd8 see GAME 10.18.

16 Bd2 Qb6

½ Roumegous-Jaulin, Paris 1993.

If you want games 10-16/17/18 let me know.

Feb-07-11  vonKrolock: <1. e4 e6
2. d4 d5
3. e5 c5
4. f4 >


click for larger view

<4...c5-c4>

Played in a game Brecht vs Benjamin, Svendborg 1934. (Yes, <Brecht> was here (!!) Bertolt, and <Benjamin> was not Joel, but (!!) Walter. More on this encounter in Winter's <"Chess Notes"> number 6932, from where a link conducts to this pdf article <Attrition in Friendship>, from the <radical philosophy> magazine.

Nov-03-11  rapidcitychess: As a recovering French player, I can tell you when I saw 3.e5, I was glad. It's much easier to play than against 3.Nc3...
Jan-15-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: Opening of the Day

Nimzowitsch Gambit
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.♕g4


click for larger view

May-24-12  parisattack: The CG.com Opening Explorer doesn't cover 3. ...g6 which has also been played. The idea is to set up a Norwood-Gurgenidze type Robatsch and saving the ...Bg7 move tempo as it usually reverts to f8 later anyway.
May-24-12  SimonWebbsTiger: <parisattack>

that could be because the Gurgenidze system requires the light squared bishop to be outside the pawn chain.

Jan-31-13  Kikoman: <Opening of the Day>

Nimzowitsch Gambit
1. e4 e5 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. ♕g4


click for larger view

Jan-31-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sneaky: Look at the Opening Explorer for the response 4...Qa5+ to the Nimzowitsch French. The idea of the check debuted with I Rabinovich vs Botvinnik, 1937 and White has had a very hard time surviving ever since.
Jul-07-13  parisattack: 5. Nd2 is marginally better than 5, c3 - but I doubt black has any real problems against either move.
Aug-03-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: Opening of the Day

Nimzowitsch Gambit
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.♕g4

Even though it's a gambit, I'm not sure where/what the sacrifice is.

Dec-12-13  parisattack: Jim Bickford, correspondence chess master (BC) and author/publisher of the Syzygy chess opening books was especially found of: 1. e4, e6; 2. d4, d5; 3. e5, c5; 4. Nf3, Nc6; 5. Bd3, cd:; 6. 0-0.

He always felt the most difficult line for White was from this game. If anyone is interested I can pull his book on the variation, provide his suggested improvements for Black -

Keres vs W Hasenfuss, 1937

Aug-21-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: Interesting possible Opening Trap here. (well not really a trap)

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6.

I don't know why, but sometimes I see 6.b3 being played. Well that loses to 6...cxd4 7.cxd4 Bb4+ and white drops d4. (or you bring your king to e2)

Oct-09-18  Chessonly: Do you know plans and ideas in French Defense Advance Variation? Check out:
https://www.chessonly.com/french-de...
Dec-15-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  Messiah: Terrible opening!
Aug-25-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  Dionysius1: It's ages since anyone commented here on the Nimzowitch Gambit, which is opening of the day today. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Qg4 Anyone got something fresh?


click for larger view

I like the look of it: the Q can protect her d4 pawn as well from g4 as d1, and Black can't chase her away with Nf6 and his WSB is well blocked by e6. Meanwhile she glowers at the potentially castled K

There seem to be very few draws arising over the years: about 1 in 6

Aug-26-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <Dionysius1: It's ages since anyone commented here on the Nimzowitch Gambit, which is opening of the day today. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Qg4 Anyone got something fresh? >

I don’t have it handy, but I vaguely remember Watson’s French book being dismissive. I thought there hadn’t been much new since the 1940s.

Aug-26-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  OhioChessFan: I've always thought the link on the homepage for Opening of the Day should come to the kibitzing page and not the position in the Opening Explorer. In any case, I've always been shocked how little talk there is on the various opening pages.
Aug-26-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  Dionysius1: Thanks <keypusher> For anyone interested, here's what Nimzowitch says is the first game with his attack, and it's annotated by him Nimzowitsch vs Hakansson, 1922
Aug-26-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  Dionysius1: Hi <OhioChessFan>. That was my thinking too. It might just be it's hard to find the kibitzing page. Maybe it should be made clear on FAQs. People helped me out when I asked about the route on the Chessgames Member Support Forum.
Aug-26-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  OhioChessFan: Alternatively, maybe a link to the kibizing page on every page of the Opening Explorer.
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