How should black develop the dark squared bishop in the advance variation of the French Defense?

Question

The following is the French defence, advance variation:

[FEN ""]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 *

My question is how Black should play his King's Bishop. Any time that Bishop moves the White Queen can go to g4 and force Black to disrupt his King-side castling pawns, e.g. as in the following typical continuation:

[FEN ""]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Nc6 5. Qg4 g6 *

Should Black King's Bishop be fianchetoed instead? I think not cause targeting the spearhead of the White's pawn chain doesn't not look very promising, esp. from a fiancheto position where advancing a pawn to f6 lacks g-file pawn support. So, how should Black employ his King's Bishop?

Answer 1

The starting position is

[FEN ""]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5

White has committed with e4-e5 since the e4-d5 tension is lost. In return, white controls the vital squares d6 and f6 for a future attack as well as stopping black from developing normally. The e5 pawn has its pawn base on d4. The critical line for black in this variation is to build up a pressure against the d4-square. The f7-f6 break will also come into consideration. The variation can go like this

[FEN ""]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3 a5

Black decides to wait with the Bf8 and focus on building a pressure on d4. After a future f7-f6, the Bf8 can choose between Bf8-e7 and Bf8-d6. In general, the Bf8 already has an important role, because it controls the f8-a3 diagonal and is ready to recapture with Bf8xc5. So there is no need for it to move at all until the situation in the center is more clear.

Answer 2

First off, your second variation is bad-on Bb4+ White responds with c3 and gets a free tempo.

As for your question, bishop is always placed on e7. In some lines when Black plays Nh6 and White captures Bxh6 Black can put it on g7. Still, bishop always goes to e7 in the Advance variation.

To help you properly play the advance I recommend you the book Nikita Vitiugov-A Complete French ( 2010 ). And here are the proper moves for the Advance variation from Black's point of view :

[fen ""]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Qb6 5.Nf3 Nc6 

and here White has many choices. Since I do not have enough space to cover all of them I suggest you the above book. It covers the Advance variation very well in my opinion.

Best regards.