Black's Counterplay Against the Advance
Pressure on d4
When White answers the French with 3.e5 and supports the centre with c2-c3, the pawn chain runs from b2 all the way to e5. White claims space and asks Black to prove that his pieces can breathe behind the e6-d5 chain.
Black's counterplay starts with the d4-pawn, the link that holds the chain together. By attacking it at once, Black forces White to decide early: hold the centre, often at the cost of time and coordination, or release the tension with dxc5 and play for development instead.
In The French Advance - A Complete Repertoire with ...Qb6 & ...Qa5, GM Anton Korobov gives Black two different ways to put pressure on d4. Both queen moves aim at the same pawn, but they lead to very different games.
Two Queen Moves, One Target
The course offers both 4...Qa5 and 4...Qb6 after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3.
Korobov explains why he kept two options in one course. He believes Black can try more than one way to create an interesting, unbalanced game against the Advance.
With 4...Qa5, the queen pins the c3-pawn against the king. Once Black plays ...cxd4, White cannot simply recapture with the c-pawn, so he has to act immediately. This turns the opening into a concrete fight from move five.
With 4...Qb6, the plan is slower and more strategic. Black prepares ...Bd7-b5 to exchange his problem light-squared bishop, then increases pressure on the centre with ...Nc6 and ...Nge7-f5.
The Author's Approach
GM Anton Korobov covers White's main tries against both systems. Against 4...Qa5, he calls 5.dxc5 White's most challenging reply and gives the main move 7.b4 its own chapter.
Against 4...Qb6, he covers the 5.Bd3 pawn sacrifice, which became popular in 2020, and 5.a3, where White prepares b2-b4. The main continuations within these lines, such as 7.b4 after 5.a3 and 8.Re1 in the gambit, have dedicated chapters.
Map of Variations
Part 1: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Qa5
- 5.Bf4 and other rare options → Chapter 1
- 5.a3 → Chapter 2
- 5.Bd3 → Chapter 3
- 5.Nf3 → Chapter 4
- 5.Nd2 → Chapter 5
- 5.dxc5 Qc7 6.Nf3 Bxc5
- 7.Bd3 and other rare 6th–7th moves → Chapter 6
- 7.b4 → Chapter 7
Part 2: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Qb6
- 5.Be2 and other rare options → Chapter 8
- 5.Bd3 cxd4 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.O-O Bd7
- 8.Nbd2 and other rarer options → Chapter 9
- 8.Re1 → Chapter 10
- 5.a3 Bd7 6.Nf3 Nh6
- 7.Bd3 and other sidelines on moves 6–7 → Chapter 11
- 7.b4 → Chapter 12
- 5.Nf3 Bd7
- 6.Nbd2 and other rare systems → Chapter 13
- 6.Be2 Bb5 7.Bxb5+ → Chapter 14
- 6.Bd3 → Chapter 15
Premium Course Structure
This is a Modern Chess Premium course, built as a complete training system rather
than a collection of files:
- 15 deeply structured theoretical chapters
- 30 test positions
- 5 training positions
- Memory Booster for long-term recall of key ideas and move orders
- To-Go Version of every chapter for fast preparation
- Video instruction explaining ideas and plans, not just moves
- Multilingual PGNs available in English, German, French, and Spanish
Related Courses
Against 1.d4, GM Anton Korobov offers Black an equally ambitious choice in Korobov's Modern Benoni.
Within the French, Korobov's course deals with 3.e5. For White's other main tries, Jobava's French Defense - Play the Fort Knox by GM Baadur Jobava and GM Pier Luigi Basso offers one solid setup against both 3.Nc3 and 3.Nd2.
The Fort Knox, with 3...dxe4 and ...Bd7-c6, solves the problem of the light-squared bishop in a different way. Together, Korobov's Advance repertoire and the Fort Knox give Black a French repertoire against all three of White's main third moves.
Start Playing for the Initiative
If you want an Advance French repertoire that puts the question to White's centre from move four, this course gives you two tested ways to do it.
Explore The French Advance - A Complete Repertoire with ...Qb6 & ...Qa5 by GM Anton Korobov and add both queen moves to your French.
INTRODUCTION
SAMPLE CHAPTER
SAMPLE VIDEO