French Defence: Difference between revisions

* A third choice for Black is to counterattack with the McCutcheon Variation. In this variation, the second player ignores White's threat of e4–e5 and instead plays 4...Bb4. The main line continues: 5.e5 h6 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Qg4. At this point Black may play 8...g6, which weakens the kingside dark squares but keeps the option of castling queenside, or 8...Kf8. An alternative way White can treat 5...h6 is to carry through with the threat with 6.exf6 hxg5 7.fxg7 Rg8. The McCutcheon Variation is named for John Lindsay McCutcheon of [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] (1857–1905), who brought the variation to public attention when he used it to defeat [[World Chess Championship|World Champion]] Steinitz in a [[simultaneous exhibition]] in [[Manhattan]] in 1885.<ref>[[Tim Harding (chess)|T.D. Harding]], ''French: MacCutcheon'' {{sic}} ''and Advance Lines'', Batsford, 1979, pp. 12, 56. {{ISBN|0-7134-2026-X}}.</ref><ref>Although many sources refer to John Lindsay McCutcheon and his [[eponym]]ous variation as "MacCutcheon", "McCutcheon" is the correct spelling. [[Jeremy Gaige]], ''Chess Personalia'', McFarland & Company, 1987, pp. 260, 275. {{ISBN|0-7864-2353-6}}; [[David Hooper (chess player)|David Hooper]] and [[Kenneth Whyld]], ''[[The Oxford Companion to Chess]]'' (2nd ed. 1992), Oxford University Press, p. 240, p. 478 n. 1205. {{ISBN|0-19-866164-9}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1296635 |title=Wilhelm Steinitz vs. John Lindsay McCutcheon (1885) |website=[[Chessgames.com]] }}</ref> It reached the height of it'sits popularity from 1905 until 1925, after that it disappeared from public eye. Until it was revived in 1990<ref> Sterran. Fundamental Chess Openings. Gambit Publications. ISBN 9781906454135.</ref>