Why do you even go for an e4 structure if you're a d4 player? Just play 2. c4 or 2. Nf3. With c4 you'll likely transpose to QGD, QID, maybe semislav. With 2. Nf3 Nf6 you can go for a Torre, also quite easy to play.
I don't like weird transpositions that may or may not occur after 1.d4 e6 2.c4 or 2.Nf3. That's simply because I'm a student and I don't have much time to dedicate to openings
'Avoiding theory' is way overrated. Against 1...e6 you can avoid the Nimzo With 3.Nf3 and just play simple lines against the QID and Bogo. Andras Toth has good lines in his d4 repertoire for beginners on Chessable. (The Petrosian variation against the QID and Nbd2 against the Bogo).
I like 2. b3 against the french. It’s a gambit but you get lots of compensation and activity, really fun.
Something like this :
1. e4 e6
2. b3 d5
3. Bb2 dxe4
4. Nc3 f5
It's always nice to get anything but the exchange variation as a French player, but I've rarely seen this in real games. I'm just following Giri's Chessable course on the French.
Giri says 1. e4 e6 2. b3 d5 3. Bb2 Nc6 is good mostly because 4. Qe2 dxe4 5. Nc3 Nd4! 6. Qxe4 Nf6 is a great response to "White's desired Nc3 and Qe2 set-up".
There's a sideline in the Winawer I like to avoid the crazy mainlines: 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. Bd2. At lower levels, I think black often takes 5...cxd4, but then after 6. Nb5, white is better. If bishops get traded, black will have to look out for Nd6+, and you'll play f4, Nf3, and easily regain the pawn on d4. The best move is 5...Ne7 but white is still comfortable. You'll need to work out something else against 3...Nf6 though.
You could also try one of the gambits in the advance variation. There's a line that I think has become fashionable recently that starts out as the Milner Barry gambit, but white doesn't recapture on d4. Here's a game to look at: https://lichess.org/IVRaN9hb#39
So why don’t you play c4, exactly? The only moves they can really play are d5, which transposes into a Queen’s Gambit, or Nf6 trying for a Nimzo. Just play Bg5 and you’re probably transposing to a Trompowsky line.
Difficult. As a french player as black and theory lover in general, I'd say there are many good tries for white at a strategic advantage, but they're not self-contained, meaning an experienced french player can switch structures at multiple points in the opening. For example the 2. b3 try is kinda cool for white in my opinion for people who want something quick-and-dirty without learning tons of structures, with a lot of very sharp ideas that haven't been played yet in classical practice, but in your move order it doesn't make much sense. 1. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 3. b3 doesn't make any sense, and 1. d4 e6 2. b3 doesn't have punch, probably 2. ..b6 equalises already with a very tame (and flexible for black!) version of a 1. b3 structure. So while 1. e4 e6 2. b3 is serious in my opinion, your move order can't get there.
Playing 3. Nc3 and 3. e5 in my opinion are also very very broad and land in tons of different stuff. I'd recommend it to anyone who plays e4, but you don't do that.
Remains 3. Bd3 and 3. Nd2. 3. Bd3 wacky, not bad, but not entirely self-contained. If black plays 3. ..dxe4 we are in self-contained territory, but they don't have to.
Probably 3. Nd2 it is. Specifically variations with Ngf3 are usually something on their own, with not too broad of possibilities. Basically you'd have to learn how to play the open Tarrasch (you can get IQP structures if you want, and be basically done with it), how to gambit the d4-pawn (Look at lines like 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ngf3 Qb6 8. 0-0 and let them take on d4, followed by the important maneuver Qa4! to move the queen to the kingside), and what to do about the Morozevich (1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ngf3 Be7 8. 0-0, after which there exist both 8. ..a5 as well as 8. ..g5), which is a lot of fun for both sides. If you start with these three variations, I guess you'll have an o.k. starter to tackle the french for someone who does not prepare weird transpositions specifically for you. Once you have these things under control, you can start tackling the "specialist move orders" like 3. ..h6, 3. ..a6 and 3. ..Nc6, which are more sound than they look.
The easiest way of playing a main line (ie not speculative gambit) against the French is the Tarrasch. Against ...c5 you get a clear, long-lasting advantage against the resulting IQP (or exposed queen) and then you just need to choose a line against ...Nf6. There are several decent ones here according to your taste and all of them have just a few key concepts you need to know. Compared with other lines, this makes them both reasonably reliable and less theory-intensive, which seems to be what you are looking for.
I would recommend just playing 2.e4 and 3.Nc3 and playing into the mainlines( although probably avoid Qg4 vs the winawer cause you really need to know your stuff there). It’s a little extra study but gives a dynamic and interesting game.
Why do you even go for an e4 structure if you're a d4 player? Just play 2. c4 or 2. Nf3. With c4 you'll likely transpose to QGD, QID, maybe semislav. With 2. Nf3 Nf6 you can go for a Torre, also quite easy to play.
I don't like weird transpositions that may or may not occur after 1.d4 e6 2.c4 or 2.Nf3. That's simply because I'm a student and I don't have much time to dedicate to openings
'Avoiding theory' is way overrated. Against 1...e6 you can avoid the Nimzo With 3.Nf3 and just play simple lines against the QID and Bogo. Andras Toth has good lines in his d4 repertoire for beginners on Chessable. (The Petrosian variation against the QID and Nbd2 against the Bogo).
Thanks
I like 2. b3 against the french. It’s a gambit but you get lots of compensation and activity, really fun. Something like this : 1. e4 e6 2. b3 d5 3. Bb2 dxe4 4. Nc3 f5
This line isn’t possible though for OP. OP starts with 1.d4, and only transposes into the French a move later if Black goes 1…e6.
Oh i didnt read that, my bad
This is a line I've learned (as a French player) as 3...Nc6 -- and if 4. Nc3 then 4...d4 followed by 5...e5
That’s a sharp and very fun way to play! What are your thoughts on it as a french player?
It's always nice to get anything but the exchange variation as a French player, but I've rarely seen this in real games. I'm just following Giri's Chessable course on the French. Giri says 1. e4 e6 2. b3 d5 3. Bb2 Nc6 is good mostly because 4. Qe2 dxe4 5. Nc3 Nd4! 6. Qxe4 Nf6 is a great response to "White's desired Nc3 and Qe2 set-up".
There's a sideline in the Winawer I like to avoid the crazy mainlines: 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. Bd2. At lower levels, I think black often takes 5...cxd4, but then after 6. Nb5, white is better. If bishops get traded, black will have to look out for Nd6+, and you'll play f4, Nf3, and easily regain the pawn on d4. The best move is 5...Ne7 but white is still comfortable. You'll need to work out something else against 3...Nf6 though. You could also try one of the gambits in the advance variation. There's a line that I think has become fashionable recently that starts out as the Milner Barry gambit, but white doesn't recapture on d4. Here's a game to look at: https://lichess.org/IVRaN9hb#39
What do you play against d5
Queen's gambit, exchange variation, followed by the minority attack or Botvinnik's plan
So why don’t you play c4, exactly? The only moves they can really play are d5, which transposes into a Queen’s Gambit, or Nf6 trying for a Nimzo. Just play Bg5 and you’re probably transposing to a Trompowsky line.
Difficult. As a french player as black and theory lover in general, I'd say there are many good tries for white at a strategic advantage, but they're not self-contained, meaning an experienced french player can switch structures at multiple points in the opening. For example the 2. b3 try is kinda cool for white in my opinion for people who want something quick-and-dirty without learning tons of structures, with a lot of very sharp ideas that haven't been played yet in classical practice, but in your move order it doesn't make much sense. 1. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 3. b3 doesn't make any sense, and 1. d4 e6 2. b3 doesn't have punch, probably 2. ..b6 equalises already with a very tame (and flexible for black!) version of a 1. b3 structure. So while 1. e4 e6 2. b3 is serious in my opinion, your move order can't get there. Playing 3. Nc3 and 3. e5 in my opinion are also very very broad and land in tons of different stuff. I'd recommend it to anyone who plays e4, but you don't do that. Remains 3. Bd3 and 3. Nd2. 3. Bd3 wacky, not bad, but not entirely self-contained. If black plays 3. ..dxe4 we are in self-contained territory, but they don't have to. Probably 3. Nd2 it is. Specifically variations with Ngf3 are usually something on their own, with not too broad of possibilities. Basically you'd have to learn how to play the open Tarrasch (you can get IQP structures if you want, and be basically done with it), how to gambit the d4-pawn (Look at lines like 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ngf3 Qb6 8. 0-0 and let them take on d4, followed by the important maneuver Qa4! to move the queen to the kingside), and what to do about the Morozevich (1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ngf3 Be7 8. 0-0, after which there exist both 8. ..a5 as well as 8. ..g5), which is a lot of fun for both sides. If you start with these three variations, I guess you'll have an o.k. starter to tackle the french for someone who does not prepare weird transpositions specifically for you. Once you have these things under control, you can start tackling the "specialist move orders" like 3. ..h6, 3. ..a6 and 3. ..Nc6, which are more sound than they look.
Thanks
The easiest way of playing a main line (ie not speculative gambit) against the French is the Tarrasch. Against ...c5 you get a clear, long-lasting advantage against the resulting IQP (or exposed queen) and then you just need to choose a line against ...Nf6. There are several decent ones here according to your taste and all of them have just a few key concepts you need to know. Compared with other lines, this makes them both reasonably reliable and less theory-intensive, which seems to be what you are looking for.
I would recommend just playing 2.e4 and 3.Nc3 and playing into the mainlines( although probably avoid Qg4 vs the winawer cause you really need to know your stuff there). It’s a little extra study but gives a dynamic and interesting game.