Emanuel Bergs forord

This is the third and final volume of my series on the French Defence, which has been one of the cornerstones of my repertoire throughout my chess career. In the preface to the first volume I talked about my background with the French, but will avoid repeating the same story here, and instead focus on the subject matter of the present book, namely the Advance, Tarrasch and the various other alternatives to 3.Nc3, which was examined thoroughly in the previous two volumes.

Just as before, the choice of lines for Black has been heavily based on my own repertoire, which has been honed by decades of competitive experience. These days, every decent opening book should be checked for accuracy using recent databases and analysis engines, and this one is no exception. However, you will also find some personal touches and creative solutions – true to my style of chess. I have always thought of the French as a fighting opening. In certain places, when my main line leads to particularly risky, messy and obscure positions, I have presented a secondary, more solid alternative. I have also made every effort to avoid forced drawing lines, instead, where possible, searching for balanced yet fighting positions where an ambitious player can strive to outplay his opponent.

Although the book is written from Black’s perspective, my research uncovered many interesting and testing novelties for White, which have also been included in the finished work. In extreme cases, I even had to abandon certain moves and plans that have brought me memorable victories, due to some untested yet troublesome new idea. Throughout the process, I have endeavoured to remain objective in my attempts to discover the ultimate truth of a given position.

The first part of the book is devoted to the Advance Variation . Here I have chosen a set-up with ... Q b6 and ... N c6, immediately putting pressure on the d4-pawn. In many lines, the combative ... N h6 will feature in our plans, intending to deploy the knight on f5, without obstructing the f8-bishop, as would occur after ... N ge7. White may respond with B xh6 in some lines, leading to complex positions where Black’s bishop pair and dynamic potential make up for his damaged pawn structure.

The largest part of the book is devoted to the Tarrasch Variation . Here I will recommend 3... ¤ f6, which I have favoured for more than two decades. After the usual 4.e5 ¤ fd7, we reach the characteristic French central structure with pawns on e5 and d4 for White versus e6 and d5 for Black. The ensuing positions tend to be strategically rich, requiring a healthy mix of positional and tactical awareness. Black begins with slightly less space, but he can often generate surprisingly potent counterplay, including piece sacrifices in the centre, which may turn the tables completely. The final part of the book contains an assortment of minor lines, from the Exchange Variation to the King’s Indian Attack to a variety of gambits and other offbeat lines. Here too, I have kept to the strategy of playing as ambitiously as possible without compromising on objective soundness.

I would like to express my gratitude to Quality Chess for extending the deadline for this last volume on more than one occasion. I have put a great deal of time and energy into this work, and I sincerely hope the readers will consider the wait to have been worthwhile."