user23699: I enjoy playing closed positions like the ones from the French Defense, but I despise having to play with the "bad bishop" on c8. I've been trying to research lines in the French where Black manages to quickly trade it off for White's bishop out of the opening, or at least manages to develop it to a reasonable square.
Against the Exchange Variation, there is this:
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Bd3 Bd6 5. Nf3 Ne7 (5... Bg4) 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 Bf5

Against the Classical Variation, there is this:
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Qd7 (4... b6) 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 b6 7. Qg4 f5 8. Qg3 Ba6

Against the Tarrasch Variation, there is this (not gonna cite a specific line, but obviously at some point the bishop can be developed to e6/f5/g4 or traded off for White's bishop on d7):
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 exd5

However, I can't find a satisfactory line for the Two Knights French after:
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. d4


user13012: Not everyone regards "Bad" Bishops as unmitigated evil. Read "The Secret Life of Bad Bishops" by Eben Lund to discover the subtlety of the issues.
If you will play the French you must do this. Hopefully you will understand them better than your opponent.

23699: <p>I enjoy playing closed positions like the ones from the French Defense, but I despise having to play with the &quot;bad bishop&quot; on c8. I've been trying to research lines in the French where Black manages to quickly trade it off for White's bishop out of the opening, or at least manages to develop it to a reasonable square.</p>
<p>Against the Exchange Variation, there is this:</p>
<pre><code>[FEN &quot;&quot;]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Bd3 Bd6 5. Nf3 Ne7 (5... Bg4) 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 Bf5
</code></pre>
<p>Against the Classical Variation, there is this:</p>
<pre><code>[FEN &quot;&quot;]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Qd7 (4... b6) 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 b6 7. Qg4 f5 8. Qg3 Ba6
</code></pre>
<p>Against the Tarrasch Variation, there is this (not gonna cite a specific line, but obviously at some point the bishop can be developed to e6/f5/g4 or traded off for White's bishop on d7):</p>
<pre><code>[FEN &quot;&quot;]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 exd5
</code></pre>
<p>However, I can't find a satisfactory line for the Two Knights French after:</p>
<pre><code>[FEN &quot;&quot;]
1. e4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. d4
</code></pre>
 13012: <p>Not everyone regards &quot;Bad&quot; Bishops as unmitigated evil. Read &quot;The Secret Life of Bad Bishops&quot; by Eben Lund to discover the subtlety of the issues.
If you will play the French you must do this. Hopefully you will understand them better than your opponent.</p>
