Beating the Rubinstein French for the Club Player

The Rubinstein variation can be played against both 3.Nc3 and 3.Nd2, widely considered White’s strongest counters to the French Defence.

It occurs after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3/Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4. It therefore appeals both to lazy players (two variations for the price of one!), and to those just learning the French.

However, as it is widely considered a reliable way of handling the opening where Black can achieve an equal position without taking risks, it is also often seen at the very highest level. This book challenges that assessment!

By playing aggressively from the off, White can disrupt Black’s plans, not giving him time to reach his ideal structure, thereby obtaining an advantage out of the opening, often a substantial one. Very rarely can Black reach equality, and then only after playing a series of extremely accurate moves, and never does he get an advantage. I repeat, Black never gets an advantage. There are no unsound gambits here!

As the title indicates, this book is designed to be accessible to club players. Typically, club players do not have the same ability as titled players to visualise positions several moves ahead. And it should not be overlooked that club players are by far the majority of chess players. To this end there are far more diagrams than can be found in a typical chess book, over 450 in all.

However, this book should also be useful to much stronger, even titled, players. The latest engines and databases provide numerous fresh ideas to counter the Rubinstein which have not yet found their way into theory and will catch out many players.

This book includes four chapters on the Blackburne variation after 4...Nd7, and three on the Fort Knox following 4...Bd7, the two main battlegrounds of the Rubinstein. Following the aggressive lines suggested here, in neither case does Black have an easy route to equality. In the remaining four chapters other Black fourth moves are examined, all of which leave White with at least a small advantage.

Each chapter concludes with an Illustrative Game annotated by Senior International Master Mike Read.