How to Play The French Defense – GM Damian Lemos

What do super-GMs Wesley So, Ding Liren and Alexander Grischuk have in common? They all frequently rely on the French Defense!

This flexible reply to 1.e4 is one of the most trusted chess openings of all time, popular from beginner level right up to the top.

Not only is the French Defense considered one of the most successful openings for Black, it is also an opening that does not force you to learn an endless amount of theory. You can play it if you understand the key strategic ideas and plans.

GM Damian Lemos is here to give you that crucial knowledge in this 7-hour Deep Dive into the French Defense.

This is an opening you can use for the rest of your chess life with good results, and it is flexible enough that you can play it in the style you prefer – solid and resilient, or dangerous and attacking!

And that’s not all – understanding the French Defense not only gives you a solid opening repertoire for Black, the various pawn structures that arise also helps you to become a better overall strategic player.

No need to fear 1.e4 anymore; add the French Defense to your repertoire and you’ll soon be dominating the whole board.