Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e6/2. d4

White takes the opportunity to put a second pawn in the centre, and open their bishops and queen for development.

As Black prepared with 1...e6, their response is 2...d5, challenging White's centre and threatening dxe4. How White chooses to answer that threat determines the direction of the game.

2...d5 is played virtually every time,^[1] but some eccentric possibilities include:

• 2...c5, the Franco-Benoni. This move gives White the option of transposing into an Open Sicilian with 3. Nf3. If Black had wanted to play a Sicilian, they could have played 1...c5, so Black is presumably hoping White will transpose into a Benoni with 3. e5, and betting that White, as an e4 player, is less comfortable in a d4 opening like the Benoni. 3. exc5? is met with Bxc5.
• 2...d6 transposes into a variation of the Rat defence. The Rat is usually 1. d4 d6 2. c4 e5. Here, Black has played e6 instead of e5. Black may hope to play this similarly to a Pirc with g6, Bg7, and Nd7, or to play the internet-famous 'Cow' with colours reversed.
• 2...Nf6?! the Mediterranean defence, Black allows White to gain some space while kicking their knight about.
• 2...f5? is called the Kingston defence or Franco-Hiva gambit. Black either gives up a pawn for development (3. exf5 Nf6 4. fxe6), or just trades pawns and opens up their kingside for no compensation (3. exf5 exf5).

For explanation of theory tables, see theory table and for notation, see algebraic notation.

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Wikipedia has related information at French Defence

• Kasparov, Garry, & Keene, Raymond 1989 Batsford chess openings 2. ISBN 0-8050-3409-9.