Fresh Strategies to Play for a Win

In the first book ever exclusively devoted to the Exchange French Variation, American grandmaster Alex Fishbein recognizes that the Exchange French is an opening for a player who likes active piece play, fights for the initiative, excels in positions with possibilities on both sides of the board, and finds strategic and tactical nuances that arise out of almost nothing. And if you play the French as Black, then this book will help you deal with White’s 3.exd5

Tarrasch and Various Lines

The French Defence is coming back to fashion again! One of the leaders in the 2020 Candidates tournament, Ian Nepomniachtchi, successfully staked his chances on it. Lately the World Champion himself also embraced the French several times. A great expert in this opening is the last challenger for the world title Fabiano Caruana.
The French became a real arena of the battle of the engines - neural network genius Leela was confidently repelling the attacks of it´s powerful rivals.

Opening Repertoire

The French Defence provides a good choice for players who want to create a dynamic, unbalanced situation out of the opening but baulk at the level of study required to master the ferociously complex Sicilian Defence. The French is one of Black´s soundest defences to 1 e4 and is very popular at all levels. White often advances with the space-gaining e4-e5 which, in principle, will generate a small advantage.

Ein Leben lang Französisch

Die Französische Verteidigung (1.e4 e6), die erstmals in der ersten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts merklich ins Blickfeld der Schachgemeinde geriet, zählt bis heute zu den wichtigsten und populärsten Eröffnungen im Schach. Der Autor des vorliegenden Buchs, der deutsche Großmeister Wolfgang Uhlmann, ist ein weltweit angesehener Französisch-Experte, der diese Eröffnung über seine gesamte Schachkarriere praktisch erprobt und ihre Theorie bereichert hat.

Grandmaster Repertoire 15

The French Defence is one of the most popular and reliable responses to 1.e4. Black invites his opponent to gain space in the centre, with the intention of undermining the enemy position and launching a counterattack. Although the amount of theory has expanded in recent years, the French often leads to positions where positional and strategic understanding prove more relevant than long sequences of computer-generated moves.

The French Defence is one of the most solid and strategically rich responses to 1.e4. Many opening lines have been analysed to death by computer, but the French is relatively resistant to this growing trend, as the characteristic blocked pawn centre leads to situations where a player with superior understanding can overcome an opponent whose expertise lies in computer-assisted preparation.

Grandmaster Repertoire 14

The French Defence is one of the most popular and reliable responses to 1.e4. Black invites his opponent to gain space in the centre, with the intention of undermining the enemy position and launching a counterattack. Although the amount of theory has expanded in recent years, the French often leads to positions where positional and strategic understanding prove more relevant than long sequences of computer-generated moves.

Grandmaster Repertoire 14 – The French Defence 1 introduces the Winawer Variation after the opening moves 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4, and provides expert recommendations against all of White’s major possibilities, with the exception of the most critical 7.Qg4 line which will receive special coverage in Volume Two of the series. Volume Three will deal with the Tarrasch, Advance and all of White’s other options.

The variation of the French that starts 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 (or 3 Nd2) 3 ... dxe4 is often called the Rubinstein Variation. It is a great way to simplify the position and ensure that the middlegame battle rewards strategic understanding rather than rote memorisation of opening moves. It is also a very useful weapon to defuse the attacking intentions of aggressive White players who plan an all-out assault in the main lines of the French Defence.

A Practical Guide for Black

 The French Defense looks to be inexhaustible and there cannot be enough books dedicated to it. This book takes a step in the direction of revitalizing our favorite opening! The authors have decided to set the book in order from the less to the more popular and complex lines.