The French Defence takes its name from an 1834 correspondence game between the London and Paris chess clubs. Its moves became associated with the French side of that encounter, although the opening idea was older. Later practitioners developed a wide family of variations around Black's central combination of ...e6 and ...d5.
The position after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 asks White what to do with the e-pawn. Advancing it creates a locked chain; exchanging changes the central structure; defending it allows further tension. These choices explain why the French can lead to very different games despite its compact first two moves.
In the Advance diagram, Black's ...c5 attacks d4, the base supporting White's e5 pawn. Black often adds pressure with pieces before choosing an exchange or a second break. Meanwhile, the light-squared bishop on c8 may struggle behind e6. Solving that piece's development problem is part of the opening, not an incidental inconvenience that disappears automatically.
Practise the Advance while following both the pawn chain and the bishop. Then compare a line where the centre opens earlier. The historical label becomes useful when it calls to mind those linked questions: where to challenge the chain, when to change the centre, and how to activate the restricted piece. A good French game depends on coordinating these decisions rather than merely keeping a solid formation.
Try this at the board
Point to the base and head of White's pawn chain. Which does ...c5 attack?