Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e6/2. d4/2...d5/3. e5/3...c5/4. c3/4...Nc6/5. Nf3/5...Qb6/6. Bd3

French Defence: Advance Variation Advance variation 6. Bd3 · Milner-Barry gambit White develops the light-squared bishop to d3. While White appears to have lost a pawn, 6...cxd4 7. cxd4 Nxd4? 8. Nxd4 Qxd4?? 9. Bb5+! would win Black's queen to a discovered attack. So Black must guard against Bb5 with check. Black can play /6...cxd4/ 7. cxd4 Bd7!, blocking the king from the Bb5+ and thus threatening to win the d4-pawn; alternatively, most played nowadays is 6...Bd7 immediately. After the variation of /6...Bd7/, White could release the tension with 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. O-O, where Black has to be careful; 8...Ne7?? allows 9. b4 to trap Black's bishop. Alternatively, after 7. O-O cxd4, White can continue to play the position in gambit style in one of three ways: A, the main line with 8. cxd4 Nxd4 9. Nxd4 Qxd4; B, with 8. cxd4 Nxd4 9. Nbd2, looking to keep a strong knight on f3; or C, in similar fashion to the Göring gambit with 7. O-O cxd4 8. Re1! dxc3 9. Nxc3. All three of these options are incredibly dangerous for Black, as White gets easy development and a massive attack. After the alternative of 6...cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7!, White can transpose into options A or B described earlier with 8. O-O!, or chicken out of the gambit lines with 8. Be2, allowing the queen to defend the d4 pawn but getting a much less ambitious position. Theory table 6. ... cxd4 7. O-O Bd7 6. ... ... 7. cxd4 Bd7 References French Defence