French Defense: Advance Variation & Milner-Barry/Hector

French Defense – Advance Variation

Definition

The Advance Variation of the French Defense arises after the moves 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5. Instead of exchanging or defending the pawn on e4, White simply pushes it to e5, grabbing space in the centre and immediately asking Black how he intends to break down the formidable pawn chain d4–e5.

Typical Move-Order and Branches

A few of the most common continuations are:

3…c5 (Main Line / Steinitz Attack)
3…♘c6 (Paulsen Variation)
3…♗d7 (Modern line that keeps options open)

Strategic Themes

Space Advantage: The pawn on e5 cramps Black’s kingside pieces, especially the knight on g8, and gives White more room for manoeuvre.
Undermining the Chain: Black usually attacks the pawn base with …c5 and/or …f6. A well-timed …f6 is often the critical test of the variation.
Minor-Piece Placement: White’s light-squared bishop often comes to d3 or e2, eyeing h7. The dark-squared bishop may head to e3 or g5. Knights usually develop via f3 and d2/f1, eventually heading to b3 or g3.
Pawn Breaks for White: c2–c4 or f2–f4/f5 are typical ways to seize the initiative.

Historical Notes

Although Aron Nimzowitsch championed the Advance Variation in the early 20^th century, it really came into its own in the 1970s thanks to players such as Viktor Korchnoi and Valery Salov. More recently, Magnus Carlsen has employed it several times at elite level, including against Vishy Anand in the 2014 World Championship match.

Illustrative Mini-Example

One of the most direct test lines:

Here both sides have reached a “core” Advance position: Black pressures d4/c3 and prepares …f6 while White gears up for f2-f4-f5.

Interesting Facts

The ECO code for most Advance Variation lines is C02.
When Deep Blue defeated Kasparov in 1997, its programmers considered the Advance to be the computer’s choice against the French because of the clear space advantage and logical plans.
In blitz and rapid, many grandmasters choose the Advance to avoid the labyrinth of theory in the Tarrasch and Winawer lines.

Milner-Barry Gambit (in the French Advance)

Definition

The Milner-Barry Gambit is an attacking pawn sacrifice employed by White against the French Defense. It typically arises after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 ♘c6 5. ♘f3 ♕b6 6. ♗d3 cxd4 7. 0-0. Instead of recapturing the pawn on d4, White castles and allows Black to take on c3 in order to gain a lead in development, open lines toward the king and exploit the semi-open e- and f-files.

Key Ideas for White

Rapid Development: All minor pieces are already out or about to emerge with tempo (♘b1-d2, ♗c1-g5).
Central Pressure: Moves like ♖e1 and ♘bd2-f1-g3 hit e6 and h7.
Open Lines: After …dxc3, the half-open b- and d- files, combined with pressure on e6, give strong attacking chances.

Plans for Black

Accept the gambit and consolidate with …♗d7, …♘ge7, …♘g6 and, at the right moment, return the extra pawn to complete development.
Decline with 6…c4, cramping the white bishop and keeping material parity.

Historical & Theoretical Significance

Named after Sir Stuart Milner-Barry, an English master and wartime code-breaker at Bletchley Park, the gambit captured popular imagination after his wins in the 1930s. It was later refined by attackers such as Žilinskis and Nigel Short. Short used it to beat Jan Timman (Tilburg 1991), proving that the line can succeed even at super-GM level.

Model Game

[[Pgn| e4|e6|d4|d5|e5|c5|c3|Nc6|Nf3|Qb6|Bd3|cxd4|0-0|dxc3|Nxc3|Bd7|Re1|Nge7|a3| ar arrows|f1a6,e5e6|squares|e6,d4 ]]

White’s pieces flood the board; the extra pawn is irrelevant if Black cannot finish development.

Interesting Tidbits

Because the pawn structure resembles positions in the IQP (Isolated Queen’s Pawn), many players who enjoy dynamic play gravitate to the Milner-Barry.
Databases show that club players score above 55 % with the gambit, largely thanks to the practical difficulty for Black to find accurate defensive moves over the board.

Hector Variation (French Advance Sideline)

Definition

The Hector Variation is an enterprising twist on the Advance French in which White plays an early a2-a3 to support a queenside space-grab and steer the game away from well-trodden theory. The most common move-order is 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 ♘c6 5. ♘f3 ♕b6 6. a3. Swedish grandmaster Jonny Hector has employed the idea for more than two decades, lending the variation his name.

Main Ideas

b2-b4 Thrust: The pawn on a3 supports a later push of b-pawn, gaining space, chasing the black queen and undermining the c5-pawn.
Avoiding Heavy Theory: By sidestepping 6. ♗d3 (Milner-Barry Gambit) and 6. ♘bd2 lines, White pulls Black into unfamiliar territory.
Flexible King Placement: White can castle either side. In many Hector games, Jonny delays castling and launches a pawn storm on both wings.

Theory Snapshot

After 6…♗d7 7. ♗e2 8. 0-0, positions often transpose to Milner-Barry-type structures but with the useful pawn on a3. Alternatively, Black may try 6…a5 to stop b4, but this weakens the b5-square and ceding White strategic hooks.

Example Sequence

[[Pgn| e4|e6|d4|d5|e5|c5|c3|Nc6|Nf3|Qb6|a3|Nh6|b4|cxd4|cxd4|Nf5|Bb2|arrows|b4b5,d4c5|squares|e5,b4 ]]

The knight on h6 shows how awkward Black’s pieces can become once the b-pawn advances.

Why It’s Fun

Many of Hector’s wins with this line feature sacrificial attacks on the kingside after drawing Black’s forces to the queenside.
You can reach the variation against either …♕b6 or …♗d7; in both cases 6. a3 is almost always possible.
Because databases still contain relatively few top-level games, the element of surprise is a built-in weapon.

Anecdote

In the 2007 Swedish Championship, Jonny Hector unleashed 6. a3 against Emanuel Berg and followed up with a stunning exchange sacrifice on c5. He eventually won with a mating attack, commenting afterward, I like positions where my opponent has to find only moves; it means I choose the problems!