The BDG-style responses may be controversial but they are, indeed, a possibility.  

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.f3 was met by 5...b5!? by Bareev against Short some years ago.  6.Bb3 a6 7.fxe4 b4 8.Na4 (8.Nce2, as played by Short, 8...Nxe4 9.Nf3 Be6 10.0-0 Bd6, =+) 8...Nxe4 9.Qf3 Nf6 (9...Qxd4 10.Ne2 Be5 11.Bf4 is probably a pawn too far) 10.Ne2 Ba6 11.Bg5 (or 11.c4 bxc3 12.Naxc3) with decent compensation.  Alternatively Eric Schiller's preference 5...Qa5 allows White good compensation after 6.Bd2!. 
Instead Stefan Bucker covered 5...exf3 6.Nxf3 Bf5 in a recent online article, 7.Bg5 e6 (else 8.Qe2 and 9.0-0-0, with sufficient compensation) 8.Nh4 leading to a dynamically equal position.

The other alternative is 4.f3, which I have used in quite a few games, most opponents take the f-pawn, when after 4...exf3 5.Nxf3 Nf6, White can choose between 6.Bd3 and 6.Bc4 transposing to 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.f3 exf3 6.Nxf3.  The problem with 4.f3 is traditionally 4...e5, but Tim McGrew made quite a strong case for 5.Be3 http://www.chesscafe.com/text/mcgrew02.pdf (unlike in the Lemberger, Black cannot use the c6-square for the knight, so 5...exd4 6.Bxd4 doesn't quite work for Black).  5...Bb4 6.Bc4 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 Qa5 (a possible improvement on McGrew's 7...exd4) 8.Ne2 exf3 9.0-0 with sharp and unclear play.

Alternatively 4.f3 Nf6 transposes to O'Kelly's defence to the BDG when White should transpose with 5.Bc4 as there are quite a few lines that defuse 5.Nxe4 (McGrew's analysis goes 5...Nxe4 6.fxe4 e5 7.Nf3 exd4?!- instead 7...Be6!, or 5...e5, which I discovered independently, or 5...Nbd7, proposed by someone else on this forum).

Thx, Michael, you beat me to the punch.

Willempie wrote on 02/13/10 at 16:32:12:


Is there anything wrong with the immediate 5...Bf5? Also, after 5...Nf6 6.Bg5, Black can always play 6...e6 7.Ne4 Be7, when this looks like a somewhat improved French since Black has already achieved the liberating ...c5 break, and the IQP could be a problem later. Still, it shouldn't lead to more than equality.

Or that database is limited - I found several. All the moves I mentioned have been played before.

Ben_Hague wrote on 02/13/10 at 10:14:38:


A normal opening advantage does not exist. Period. White can play moves that are alright and still not obtain anything. A lot of openings cease to be critical because they do not offer any advantage.

That aside, in this particular line white has been doing something abnormal.

This is probably why 4...Bf5 is also completely equal, and perhaps even simpler.

Quote:


Your 8. Bc4 line is good for no more than adequate compensation at best, white has absolutely nothing beyond that.

8. c3 Qc7 is adequate.

Ben_Hague wrote on 02/12/10 at 21:10:04:


There's no such thing as a "normal white advantage". White doesn't get an advantage just because he's white if he's playing inferior moves, or moves that are known to lead to equality. Does white have a "normal advantage" after 1. a3? No. Same exact thing as 2. Ne2/3. Ng3 - white's playing moves that lose his claim to an opening advantage.

White has nothing, being completely objective, after 5. Nbc3 Ngf6 6. d4 Nxe4 7. Nxe4 e5. The only question after 3. Ng3 is whether black wants to play for a win, or not, in which case he needs to pick a different continuation. Kylemeister beat me to the punch, though.

BPaulsen wrote on 02/12/10 at 02:25:39:


Taking the line a bit further 5.Nbc3 Ngf6 6.d4 looks natural, when 6...Nxe4 7.Nxe4 Nf6 8.Nxf6+ is a main line with all the knights off, which I can't see as a bad thing for White. 6...e6 is solid but the space advantage and Bc8 must be worth something for White. I'm therefore going to assume that Black's idea is to play g6 and Nd5, Nf/b6, so 6...Nd5 7.Bc4 N7b6 8.Bb3 g6 9.0-0 Bg7 10.Re1 0-0 is natural. White has a few possibilities here, I quite like the look of 11.Nxd5, e.g. 11...Nxd5 12.c3 Bf5 13.Qf3 with a little more space, or 11...cxd5 12.Nc5 with a little pressure.

Not much in either case, just a bit more comfortable for White.

Quote:


Presumably that depends on how you evaluate the Advance French. I would consider it a normal opening for White, so leading to a normal white advantage, but if you consider it equal then adding an unorthodox move each should keep that evaluation.