French structure
The pawn chain where White has pawns on d4 and e5 against Black pawns on d5 and e6, giving White space on the kingside and Black a bad c8 bishop and counterplay against the d4 base.
Also called: French pawn chain
In the main French lines Black plays ...e6 and ...d5, White pushes e5, and a chain forms with e5 backed by d4 against e6 backed by d5. The tip of White's chain, e5, points toward Black's kingside, while Black's chain points at White's queenside.
The classical rule is to attack the base of the enemy chain. Black does this with ...c5 and ...Qb6, hitting d4, and often ...f6 to challenge the head on e5. White can hit the base of Black's chain on e6 with f4-f5, a plan that doubles as a kingside attack, and can also challenge the head on d5 with c4.
White gets space and a comfortable kingside attack, so castling short can be risky for Black. Black gets a solid structure but a bad light-squared bishop on c8 that needs to be rerouted, often with ...b6 and ...Ba6 or by trading it off. Black's counterplay is on the queenside.
Common errors include White pushing the kingside pawns without pieces behind them, and Black defending passively instead of striking with ...c5 or ...f6. Practical tip: whenever the chain is locked, decide which wing you are attacking and bring your pieces there before pushing pawns.
It sits close to Caro-Kann structure. The solid Black setup with pawns on c6 and d5 against White's e4 pawn, often leading to a healthy pawn formation where Black can develop the light-squared bishop outside the chain.
Compare it with Kingside pawn storm structure. A kingside pawn storm structure arises when the center is locked, so one side can march its kingside pawns toward the enemy king while the opponent counterattacks on the other wing, as in the classical King's Indian Defense.
Also worth reading is Semi-open defense. A semi-open defense is any Black reply to 1.e4 other than 1...e5, such as 1...c6, 1...e6, 1...d6 or 1...c5, in which Black meets White's central pawn from the side instead of facing it head-on.
Opening ideas such as "French structure" are easier to keep when they are tested on your own games, which is what a first lesson with George Li begins with.
Related terms
A pawn chain is a string of friendly pawns on a diagonal, each guarded by the pawn behind it, so only the rearmost pawn, the base, lacks pawn protection and becomes the usual target.
A bad bishop is one whose own pawns stand mostly on its color, where they block its diagonals, leaving it with little range and few targets to attack.
A space advantage means controlling more squares, usually through advanced pawns, so that your pieces have room to maneuver while the opponent has little room and finds it hard to exchange or regroup.
A pawn lever is a pawn that stands in direct contact with an enemy pawn, attacking it so that a capture or exchange is possible and the structure can be opened or damaged.
A blockade is the plan of stopping an enemy pawn by occupying the square it must move to next, most often a passed or isolated pawn, with a piece that stays safe and useful there.
A kingside pawn storm structure arises when the center is locked, so one side can march its kingside pawns toward the enemy king while the opponent counterattacks on the other wing, as in the classical King's Indian Defense.
Openings where it occurs
Guides that go further
Most popular chess openings and win rates
The most played openings, how often White wins, and how the numbers change with rating, computed from public games.
What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.
A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li.
Want to spot this in your own games?
A first lesson starts with your games: George reviews them and builds a study plan around what he finds.