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The French DefenseIntroduction: Part I"Vive la Defense Francaise!" 1.e4 e6
I've been playing the French Defense for more than twenty years now. What attracted me originally was the solid nature of the defense - at the time I was getting crushed quite regularly, and I was searching for something which was ultra-solid. I wanted a defense that I could survive into the middlegame with, and have at least a fighting chance with too! The French is an ideal choice of opening for the defensive-minded player, affording many opportunities for strong defense, followed by counter-attack. Since my rather humble beginnings, I've developed a real love affair with the French; she can be a demanding mistress, but is very solid, although there are times when it gets wild & wooly! Here's a miniature by Paul Morphy as an example: Mc Connell, J - Morphy, P [C02]
New Orleans, 1850 In this series of articles, I'll try to give the ideas and analysis for all of the main lines in the French, as well as quick looks at less popular variations. I'll also provide some downloads of game collections with the French, all from top-flight International competition, and links to other online resources on the French. My goal is to provide enough of an overview that the reader will fall in love with the French as I have, and seek more detailed instruction and information. Quoting Lev Psakhis, "The French is like a proud woman who does not give her heart away easily. In order to master this difficult opening, it is not enough to know a few variations. You have to put your 'heart and soul' into it, you have to love it, and only in this way will you understand its mysteries." Amen. The French Defense derives it's name from a correspondence game played between London and Paris (1834-1836), won by the Parisians of course. Thanks to John Saunders (www.bcmchess.co.uk) for providing the score of this game: CITY London - CITY Paris [C01] corr, 1834 The Russian Master, Jaenisch, analyzed the opening in detail in 1842, and it was examined as long ago as 1497 by Lucena. Here's one of the earliest known games involving the French Defense, from 1620: Greco,G - NN [C00] Europe 1620 The French was introduced into master practice in the early 1800s by (who else?) a Frenchman, La Bourdonnais. I. A. Horowitz also credits Geza Maroczy with helping to popularize its use beginning around the end of the 19th century. No less an authority than former World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik however, opines that the real history of the French Defense began with Aaron Nimzowitsch, who contributed many new ideas, and for whom a major variation of the French Defense was named. Many World Champions, as well as other strong GMs, have wielded the French as a weapon during their careers, including Karpov, Botvinnik, Korchnoi, Smyslov, Bronstein, Petrosian, Uhlmann, Capablanca, Reti, Grunfeld, and Alekhine. More recently, the French has been essayed by the likes of Anand, Khalifman, Short, Bareev, Van Wely, and Ivanchuk, to name just a few. The French even has ecclesiastical approval: Kapfer, T - Pope John Paul II [C19] Krakow Krakow, 1938 In Part II of this introduction we'll look at some of the basic ideas behind the French, and later at some of the options for White on move two, as well as possibilities for transposition for Black. In other installments of this series we'll cover the principal variations, including the Advance Variation, the Exchange Variation, the Classical Variation, the Winawer (Nimzowitsch), Tarrasch, and MacCutcheon variations. Don't be intimidated by the thicket of variations though; that's evidence only of the wide scope for imagination and investigation available to French aficionados. Many of the themes reoccur from variation to variation, and understanding them will aid immensely in playing not just the French Defense, but all opening systems in general. Now, on to Part II!
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