Tarrasch French Guimard Variation with 3...Nc6

The French is one of Black's soundest defences to 1 e4 and is very popular at all levels of chess. Club players enjoy its super-solid structure, while at the top it's played by famous grandmasters such as Vishy Anand and the young Russian star Alexander Morozevich.

The French Defence is one of the most important chess openings. It's qualities are such that it appeals to a wide range of chess temperaments: it is solid yet uncompromising, and with a variety of chaotic variations to appeal to the most bloodthirsty of players, but also offering more tranquil lines to those seeking a quieter existence. While it is hard for White to avoid at least some imbalance in the position, he also has a wide choice. In some of the most critical lines, he accepts major structural weaknesses in return for piece-play and dynamic chances, while he can also seek to establish a modest space advantage without such heavy positional commitments.

The French is one of Black's soundest defences to 1 e4 and is very popular at all levels of chess. Club players enjoy its super-solid structure, while at the top it's played by famous grandmasters such as Vishy Anand and the young Russian star Alexander Morozevich.

In Dangerous Weapons: The French, International Master John Watson takes a revolutionary look at one of the most famous and widely-played chess openings: the French Defence. Instead of travelling down well-trodden and analyzed paths, Watson concentrates on fresh or little-explored variations of the French, selecting a wealth of "dangerous" options for both colours. Whether playing White or Black, a study of this book will leave you confident and fully-armed, and your opponents running for cover!

No matter what White plays, Black plays 1..e6 making believe he is going into a French defense. White is fooled for whatever he does, Black plays toward a Benoni 2..c5.

In Dangerous Weapons: The French, International Master John Watson takes a revolutionary look at one of the most famous and widely-played chess openings: the French Defence. Instead of travelling down well-trodden and analyzed paths, Watson concentrates on fresh or little-explored variations of the French, selecting a wealth of "dangerous" options for both colours. Whether playing White or Black, a study of this book will leave you confident and fully-armed, and your opponents running for cover!

This is a complete and up-to-date work for players of all levels, and contains brand-new concepts in topical modern lines such as the Steinitz, McCutcheon and Morozevich Variations.

The Advance Variation is a popular and direct way of meeting the ultra-solid French Defence. Very early on in the game White opts to fix the pawn structure and establishes a genuine space advantage, upon which he later hopes to mount a serious attack. This method of playing against the French Defence has become a firm favourite amongst uncompromising Grandmasters such as Alexei Shirov, England's Nigel Short and the rising star in Russia, Alexander Grischuk.In this book, opening expert Sam Collins explains the strategies and tactics of this dynamic opening, studying both the main lines as well as the more offbeat variations. Through the use of model games for both White and Black, he provides a thorough grounding in the key plans and ideas, so that readers can quickly and confidently begin to use the French Advance in their own games.