Chess Explained: The French

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Two experts explain the workings of a profound opening complex.

"...the authors clearly know their subject and, as you would expect from Eingorn, have an eye for the slightly unusual moves that might improve upon the main games and keep the variations alive for both sides. They also have a healthy respect for White's strengths in the French, and show them in detail." - IM John Watson, TWIC

Chess Explained books provide an understanding of an opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games. It is as if you were sitting at the board with a chess coach answering your questions about the plans for both sides, the ideas behind particular moves, and what specific knowledge you need to have.

The French Defence is one of the most important chess openings. Its 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.

"…if you are considering utilizing the French as a weapon against 1 e4, then this book is a very good and inexpensive way of deciding if the opening is for you. It will give you a solid grounding in fundamental positional ideas and typical tactics in the French." - Munroe Morrison, Open File

Viacheslav Eingorn is an extremely experienced grandmaster from Ukraine. He played regularly and successfully in the Top League of the USSR Championship in the 1980s. International Master Valentin Bogdanov has over thirty years' experience as a chess trainer, and is also from Ukraine. His pupils include Moskalenko, Savchenko and Drozdovsky, and he has acted as a second for Eingorn since the late 1970s.

"Altogether we have a very instructive book on the French Defence with a unbelievable amount of instructive text!" - John Elburg, chessbooks.nl