French Advance: 5.Nf3 Nge7 (Advance Variation)
French: Advance
Definition
The Advance Variation of the French Defence begins with the moves
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5. By pushing the e-pawn to e5 on move three, White closes the centre immediately, gains space on the kingside, and defines the typical pawn chain e5–d4 against Black’s c7–d5 structure.
How it is used in chess
- Space gain: The move e5 restricts the natural development of Black’s king-side knight (…Nf6 is impossible for the moment).
- Strategic clarity: The closed centre means plans revolve around pawn breaks rather than quick piece play. White generally plays for f4–f5 or c3–c4, while Black counter-attacks with …c5 and …f6.
- Flexible set-ups: 4.c3 is virtually obligatory, supporting d4. From there White can choose between
- the classical set-up with Bd3, Nf3, 0-0, Be3, and sometimes queenside castling,
- the modern 4.Nf3/5.Be2 lines aiming for a quick c4, or
- the aggressive Milner-Barry Gambit (4.c4!?) sacrificing a pawn for rapid development.
Strategic & historical significance
• First analysed seriously by 19th-century French masters, but systematised by Aron Nimzowitsch in the 1920s, who championed the idea of controlling key squares rather than occupying them.
• Became a favourite of aggressive players such as Mikhail Tal and Viktor Korchnoi, precisely because it guarantees an unbalanced pawn structure.
• Modern engines evaluate the Advance as entirely sound for White but stress the importance of precision; one misplaced piece often allows Black’s thematic break …f6 or a powerful …c5–c4 push.
Typical examples
-
Tal – Botvinnik, World Championship 1960 (Game 6)
Tal used the Advance as a surprise weapon and achieved a crushing kingside initiative after 3…c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3. The game is still quoted in opening manuals. -
Short – Kasparov, PCA Candidates 1993
Demonstrates Black’s dynamic resources: Kasparov equalised swiftly with the Rubinstein set-up …cxd4 followed by …Bd7 and …f6.
Interesting facts & anecdotes
- A young Bobby Fischer tried the Advance only once in serious play (Fischer – Sherwin, New Jersey 1957) and later called it “too slow” for his taste—yet engines today disagree!
- The line is a favourite in correspondence and computer chess because the fixed pawn structure allows deep, long-term calculation. In correspondence databases, 3.e5 scores above 55% for White.
Illustrative mini-PGN
5.Nf3 Nge7
Definition
The move sequence 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nge7 is one of Black’s most respected lines in the French Advance. Instead of the more direct …Nf6, Black reroutes the g8-knight to e7, planning …Nf5 or …f6 without blocking the f-pawn.
Typical move order
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Nge7
From here the main branches are:
• 6.Bd3 (Classical) … cxd4 7.cxd4 Qb6
• 6.a3 (Petrosian Variation) … Nf5 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 Qb6
Strategic ideas
- Freeing break …f6: With the knight out of the way, Black can strike at White’s advanced e-pawn without losing time.
- Supporting …cxd4: After exchanging on d4, the e7-knight often comes to f5, pressuring d4 while also watching h4-g3 squares to blunt White’s attacking chances.
- Bishop development: Black typically plays …Bd7 and …Qb6, targeting d4 and b2, and castles queenside or stays in the centre until the pawn structure clarifies.
- Flexibility: If White over-extends on the kingside with f4–f5, Black can counter-sacrifice with …cxd4 followed by …f6 and rapid piece activity.
Historical & theoretical background
• Popularised by grandmasters such as Viktor Korchnoi, David Bronstein, and later by Evgeny Bareev, who refined the …Bd7/…Qb6 manoeuvre.
• In the 1981 Karpov – Korchnoi Candidates Final, Korchnoi unleashed 5…Nge7 twice, scoring 1½/2 and proving the line’s resilience.
• Modern engine analyses still regard 5…Nge7 as fully playable, with a small but manageable space disadvantage for Black.
Key illustrative game
Carlsen – Caruana, Wijk aan Zee 2020
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Nge7 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Qb6 8.0-0 Bd7 9.Bc2 Nf5 10.Bxf5 exf5 and Black obtained dynamic equality.
This game highlighted the resilience of Black’s structure and the potential for counterplay on the dark squares.
Interesting facts
- While most French specialists learn 5…Qb6 first, many top players (including Maxime Vachier-Lagrave) switch to 5…Nge7 when they need a solid yet flexible set-up in rapid and blitz.
- The formation can transpose into a Chigorin-style French if Black later plays …Nf5 and …h5, a plan introduced by Alexander Morozevich in the early 2000s.
- Correspondence statistics show that 5…Nge7 scores slightly better for Black (≈46%) than the more classical 5…Qb6 lines (≈44%), owing to its strategic rather than tactical nature.