Chess Explained - the French [Paperback]

Written by GM Viacheslav Eingorn & IM Valentin Bogdanov, translated by Steve Giddens, edited by FM Graham Burgess and typeset by GM John Nunn.

This book is a must have for French Defence beginners or experts whether you play the French yourself or face it as White. With these five great names contributing to this book you can't go wrong, They have all made ground breaking contributions to opening theory. Especially Burgess' 1992 and Bogdanov's 2010 contributions to the Alekhine literature which I rate very highly and are considered by most to be the best Alekhine resources around. This book contains 25 illustrative games with comprehensive analysis and coverage of different lines. There is one chapter on the Advance Variation 1.e5 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5; two chapters on the Tarrasch Variation 1.e5 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 and 3...c5; one chapter on the Burn and Rubenstein Variations where Black plays dxe4; one chapter on the Classical Variation 1.e5 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc6 Nf3 and three chapters on various Winawer Variations 1.e5 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc6 Bb4 with various continuations; 4.e4 c5 with various continuations and the Main Line 5.a3 Bxc3 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4. Each chapter has a brief introduction on the themes behind the variations.

The introduction points out that "the relatively modest size of this book means that we shall only cover the most fundamental theoretical lines, and discuss in general terms the methods by which the struggle is conducted in various important French structures". Despite this disclaimer I would have liked to have seen more on the Classical Variation since I play that often when transposing from the Alekhine Defence 2. Nc3 Variation. This also sees me facing the Steinitz variation to which this book only devotes one game. As a matter of interest, while older books cannot really be compared, Psakhis' 2004 French Defence: Steinitz, Classical, and other Systems does not cover the Winawer Variation but has three chapters on the Steinitz varitation, two on the Rubenstein Variation, three on the Burn Variation and two on the Classical Variation. Psahis' 1992 The Complete French has one chapter on the Exchange Variation, one chapter on the Advance Variation, one chapter on the Rubenstein and Burn Variations, one chapter on the MacCutheon Variation, four chapters on the Tarrasch Variation, one on the Steinitz Variation, one on the Classical Variation and five on the Winawer Variation. Despite only covering the most well-trodden lines, I consider Chess Explained: the French of great value to those who are already expert on French theory as it provides the most up to date analysis.

Once you familiarise yourself with the "fundamental theoretical lines" in this book, I recommend that you compliment it with John Watson's 2007 Dangerous Weapons: the French - Dazzle Your Opponents. Watson provides attacking novelties not considered in other literature, covering traps that White and Black can set. I recommend Watson to anyone who is already well up to date on French Defence theory and is looking for some new ideas to out theory their opponent. I also recommend it to White players who do not play the French Defence themselves; using Watson's novel attacking ideas will take Black French Defence experts out of their familiar lines.