Book reviews

 

The French Defence: a Complete Black Repertoire

Nikita Vitiugov, Chess Stars, 2010

 

"Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body" (Ecclesiastes 12:12). If the author meant chess openings books, he got it right. It is impossible to keep up with the flow of new titles. And yet, in most cases, each book brings something new that is worth sharing. So the question to ask is not, do we need really need another book on how to play the French as Black, following the very good books by John Watson (three editions: 1984, 1996 and 2003) and, recently, Neil McDonald (2008)? Instead, how does Vitiugov increase the sum of human knowledge in this area? What are his qualifications for writing a book on the French?

 

It's always worth checking whether the author himself or herself plays the opening in question. Looking at Vitiugov's games over the past five years on ChessBase, the Sicilian is his main weapon against 1.e4, but he has increasingly been playing the French, and in 2009, that was his most-used response. We're not talking huge numbers of games but he does seem to believe in the opening. Indeed this book includes several of his own games in the French (as both White and Black).

 

Second, Vitiugov is a very strong player. A Russian GM, he is aged only 24, but his rating is already 2710 and rising. This must make him the strongest player ever to write a book on the Black side of the French. You would expect to find high-quality analysis, evaluations and insight. And (as far as this club player can tell) this is what you get. In the section on the Advance Variation, for example, the main line sequence is 4…Nc6 and 5…Qb6, but Vitiugov recommends bringing the queen out first so as to limit White's options – the Kupreichik Variation, 4…Nc6 5.Be3, which was popular some years ago, is no longer available. Not that this variation is particularly good for White, but Vitiugov's move order reduces the amount of learning needed, and that's the point of a repertoire book.

 

You would also expect a new openings book to provide an up-to-date assessment of the latest theory. Vitiugov includes many recent GM games (including at least one from 2010) and he concentrates on the way the opening is handled currently, at least at the higher levels. (Of course, in this respect it would be unreasonable to expect any written publication to match an online theory service such as Chess Publishing.)

 

Against that, the book does have its limitations. GMs are so far removed from ordinary club players that they don't always see the need to explain their thinking. There are times in the book when one would have wanted Vitiugov to be a little more expansive. The book could also have done with an introductory chapter discussing the main ideas, themes and pawn structures (as for example in Sadler's book on the Queen's Gambit Declined). Arguably this sort of thing is less important when the readership is more advanced, but Vitiugov does say in his preface that players of all levels should find something new in the book. Also, the repertoire is not entirely watertight. A very common position in the Classical Variation with 4.Bg5 is simply not considered at all, although Vitiugov looks at transpositions a couple of moves further on. More of this later.

 

Part 1. White avoids the main lines

(2nd moves for White other than 2.d4; 3rd moves for White other than 3.Nc3, 3.Nd2 and 3.e5)

These sidelines are not dangerous for Black. Vitiugov recommends a classical response, occupying or fighting for the centre, and taking gambit pawns when offered. His approach is logical, and not over-detailed. For example in the line 1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 d4, he only looks at 4.Ne2 for White:

"White has played 4.Nb5? too. Fortunately, this book is not an opening encyclopedia, and I do not feel obliged to analyse moves like this…" (page 18)

The most important sideline is the Exchange Variation (3.exd5 exd5). Vitiugov focuses on 4.Nf3 as White's main move, but looks at 4.c4 as well. His response is based on 4…Bd6 rather than 4…Nf6 as he believes Black should try to avoid a symmetrical position. So he doesn't develop his king's knight until after White has done so, and then he sends the knight to the other square (in this case e7). The light-squared bishop has a range of possible squares depending on the circumstances. If that all sounds very calm, it is – Vitiugov clearly doesn't believe in taking unnecessary risks. He says:

"For those chess-fans who wish to play always only for a win, I would like to tell you that according to the professional players – there are two positive results in chess – a win and a draw…" (page 25)

In contrast, McDonald advocates 4…Nc6 and then 5…Bd6, with …Nge7 and …0-0 to come. In some lines Black will try to take control of the e-file and post a knight on …e4. His approach is more aggressive than Vitiugov's, and is worth examining if you want to play for a win.

 

Watson (3rd edition, as are all references unless stated otherwise) is similar in outlook to McDonald, with a wider choice of lines. He adopts the same minor-piece configuration but castles long rather than short – both more aggressive and more risky. Let's see what he sees about having to face the Exchange:

"Objectively, the Exchange Variation is of course equal. But we have seen that there is ample leeway for the stronger player to outthink his opponent and win. This is all we can ask for from any opening." (page 80)

Part 2. The Advance Variation

(1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Qb6 5.Nf3 Nc6)

The traditional main line is 6.Be2. Vitiugov follows the objectively-best moves, which were worked out long ago. The resulting position is rather sterile, but Black is at least equal, and White has more chances to go wrong on the way (the analysis of some of the sidelines is quite exciting).

 

For this reason, 6.a3 is now the modern way to play the Advance. Vitiugov offers more than one option here – two chapters on 6…Nh6, one chapter on 6…Bd7, and a few columns on 6…c4. It's not clear why he includes this line as he doesn't like it very much (the position becomes very blocked) and it's not covered in enough detail for anyone to play it with confidence.

 

The positions after 6…Nh6 are the main line. Vitiugov shows that White's follow-up with 7.b4, closing the queenside, is nothing to worry about. There's only one snag. After 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 Nf5 9.Be3 f6, White can enter a drawing line with 10.b5 Nxe5 11.dxe5 Nxe3 12.fxe3 Qxe3+ 13.Qe2 Qc1+ 14.Qd1 Qe3+. That's OK if you're happy with a draw, but suppose you need to play for a win? Vitiugov doesn't give Black any options apart from 14…Qb2, but says he prefers White in the resulting positions. However, you don't have to be a GM to see that 10…Na5 (with or without capturing on e3) keeps the game alive. Black has a natural plan of …Bd7 and …Rc8, targetting White's weakened queenside. Meanwhile White's attack is not going anywhere fast on the kingside. Why doesn't Vitiugov mention this possibility?

 

In fact it's all rather academic because 6…Bd7, Vitiugov's second alternative, may turn out to be better than 6…Nh6, and involves less learning of theory. Black aims for quick queenside mobilisation, delaying kingside development. White can't easily take advantage of this.

 

Vitiugov devotes a very short chapter to 6.Bd3, the Milner-Barry Variation. This still appears at club level but, after 6…cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.0-0 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4 10.Nc3, White doesn't get enough for his pawn after 10…a6 rather than the greedy 10…Qxe5. Vitiugov disposes of the variation efficiently (he must know there's not much new to say). But it would have been helpful to include coverage of the sideline 9.Ng5. This is a tricky move and it's easy for Black to go wrong.

 

Watson also recommends the main lines, offering chapters on both 5…Bd7 and 5…Qb6 and offering them equal weight. Watson is the only one of our authors to deal with 5…Bd7 so this is the chapter to go for if this line is in your repertoire.

 

McDonald's approach to the Advance is quite different. He avoids the main lines and offers two alternatives. The first is the system with 3…b6. Black aims to exchange to exchange off White's good bishop with …Ba6, or else strongpoint the d5 square by meeting c4 with …Bb7. Queenside expansion with …c5 is also an option. It's an interesting plan, and worth having in the repertoire, although a quick a4–a5 by White might cause a few problems.

 

The second is the Wade Variation – 4…Qb6, 5…Bd7, 6…cxd4 and 7…Bb5, again aiming to swap off the white bishop on f1, and ideally queens as well, heading for the endgame. Bob Wade himself had excellent endgame technique. The system is positionally sound and it's surprising it's not played more often.

 

Part 3. The Rubinstein Variation

(1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 (or Nd2) dxe4 4.Nxe4)

I was quite surprised to see the Rubinstein included in a repertoire book for Black. Vitiugov obviously expected this reaction. He says:

"…there will be neither pawn-chains, so typical for the French Defence, nor intricate pawn structures. Black is playing simply to equalise, and he reduces the tension in the centre beginning on move three… chess players of various levels should have an opening repertoire including sharp schemes as well as some quite reliable and safe, despite being sometimes even a bit passive. The Rubinstein Variation belongs definitely to the second group." (page 53)

And 40 or so pages later, after a long and detailed coverage of the variation, he concludes:

"I would like to recommend to the fans of the French Defence to include this variation in their opening repertoire, but not to have it as a main weapon. You may get used then to playing rather simple positions and you will have problems in other variations of the French Defence." (page 97)

All this is rather like Peter Rabbit being sent to bed with some camomile tea after a bad day in Mr McGregor's garden. It's not very nice, but it's good for you.

 

Turning to the theory, Vitiugov starts Black's response with 4…Nd7 (he mentions the Fort Knox Defence with 4…Bd7 only to dismiss it immediately on the ground that it fails to equalise). After 5.Nf3 Ngf6, Vitiugov examines three main moves. First, 6.Bg5, which he thinks is well-met by 6…h6 when Black has an easy game. Secondly, 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 when 7.c3 seems to be White's best continuation. Thirdly, 6.Bd3, which he also rates for White. There seems to be nothing exciting for Black in these lines. All he can do is play …c5 to try to free his game, and also simplify the position as far as possible. On the positive side, if you want to play the Rubinstein, then Vitiugov's coverage is very good.

 

McDonald also recommends the Rubinstein, but only so that Black can follow up with the Fort Knox. He regards it as safe and non-theoretical, and a good starting point for those new to the French. He does admit that the system is unambitious.

 

Watson leaves the Rubinstein out of his main repertoire, while recognising its popularity at the higher levels. However, it reappears in a slightly different form in his chapter on the Classical with 4.Bg5 (see below).

 

Part 4. The Morozevich Variation

(1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Be7)

Vitiugov provides two lines against the Tarrasch Variation: 3…Be7 and 3…c5. He discounts 3…Nf6, the traditional main line, on the grounds that it does not enable Black to reach complicated positions, creates too many weak squares, and fails to equalise.

 

The 3…Be7 line has become very popular recently. It leads to interesting and sharp positions, but is not without some risk. Vitiugov regards it as a good choice against a weaker player. He examines White's three main moves in some depth. First, 4.e5. This is the most committal move for White but it also restricts Black's kingside development the most. The play becomes unbalanced. Vitiugov concludes that theory currently favours White in the main line, but that Black has improvements at an earlier stage. Secondly, 4.Nf3. Also sharp and tactical, but both sides have chances to fight for the initiative. Finally, 4.Bd3. Vitiugov describes this as the most flexible move, and less sharp than the alternatives. Again, he says that the main line currently favours White, but that Black can and should deviate earlier.

 

Needless to say, you shouldn't play this variation as Black unless you've prepared it thoroughly. If you're ready to put in the work, Vitiugov provides enough analysis to enable you to play the line with confidence.

 

Watson and McDonald also offer chapters on the 3…Be7 line. Their coverage is less extensive than Vitiugov's but provides enough material if one of these books is going to be your main source. Watson's 2nd edition is the one to look for if you want to play 3…Nf6 (if you can get it).

 

Part 5. The Tarrasch Variation with 3…c5

(1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5)

Vitiugov regards 3…c5 as Black's most reliable response to the Tarrasch. After White captures on d5, Vitiugov's repertoire is based on recapturing with the queen rather than the pawn. He says this is because the pawn recapture creates structural weaknesses, but there's no doubt that the …Qxd5 lines are more exciting as well.

 

Vitiugov provides the detailed coverage you would expect. There's nothing particularly original here – this line has been very heavily analysed already. The main point of interest is in his recommendation for Black's 12th move in the main line. After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 cxd4 5.exd5 Qxd5 6.Bc4 Qd6 7.0-0 Nf6 8.Nb3 Nc6 9.Nbxd4 Nxd4 10.Nxd4 a6 11.Re1 Qc7 12.Bb3, the main continuation for several years has been 12…Bd6. This introduces an exciting gambit line which begins 13.Nf5 Bxh2+ 14.Kh1 0-0 15.Nxg7 Rd8 16.Qf3 Kxg7 17.Bh6+ Kg6 18.c3. Theory regards this very complicated line as favourable for Black, i.e. he's material up and he's not getting mated. However, Vitiugov instead recommends 12…Bd7. He says there's nothing wrong with the traditional line, but people have stopped playing it and it seems to have gone out of fashion. 12…Bd7, intending castling queenside, does have the advantage of being relatively unexplored, but it doesn't seem to be any better than 12…Bd6. It just presents White with different targets. For example White can lift a rook to the 3rd rank and swing it across to the queenside. And also, after 13.Qf3 Bd6, White has the option of forcing a draw with 14.Bxe6 fxe6 15.Nxe6 Bxe6 16.Rxe6+ Kf7 17.Qb3 Bxh2+ 18.Kh1 Kg6 19.Qd3+ Kf7 20.Qb3 Kg6. So it seems to me that Black is better off sticking with the main line.

 

Vitiugov's choice of 12…Bd7 means that he doesn't provide as much analysis of the …Bd6 line as he otherwise might. He does give enough for readers to play and understand the main line, but it's not comprehensive. For example at move 18, having discounted 18…Nd5? which is known to be bad, he only considers the main continuation 18…Nh5, and not 18…e5!? which may turn out to be Black's best move here. For a full treatment of the …Bd6 line, you need to look at Watson's chapter on 3…c5. (McDonald does not include 3…c5 in his repertoire, so cannot help us here.)

 

Part 6. The Winawer Variation

(1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4)

Vitiugov says that 3.Nc3 is White's most dangerous move against the French. Of course, it also provides Black with the kind of counterplay that doesn't exist against the Tarrasch or Advance. HIs repertoire includes both of Black's two main responses (three if you include the Rubinstein Variation): the Winawer with 3…Bb4 and the Classical with 3…Nf6. These represent fundamentally different approaches to the position. Vitiugov gives them equal weight.

 

The chapters on the Winawer are logically set out, dealing first with White's alternatives at moves 4 and 5, then with all move 7 alternatives except Qg4, and finally with 7.Qg4 itself. He notes that the types of position arising in the Qg4 lines are irrational, and almost unique in chess (the Botvinnik Variation of the Semi-Slav is similar). HIs coverage seems to be up-to-date. In the main line, after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 he recommends 7…cxd4 rather than the traditional 7…Qc7 because this gives White additional possibilities. He cites a Carlsen game in 2008. Then after 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 Qc7 10.Ne2 dxc3 11.f4 Nbc6 12.Qd3, he advises against 12…d4 on the ground that 13.h4 works out better for White. Instead he recommends 12…Bd7 with continuing complications.

 

Watson diverges at move 7, answering Qg4 with …0-0 instead. This system is playable, and sharp, but it lacks the chaos and anarchy of the main line. For that you have to hunt down the 2nd edition of Play the French, which goes into a lot of detail (although this is all based on the older move, 7…Qc7, rather than 7…cxd4).

 

Unlike Vitiugov and Watson, McDonald confines his coverage to 3…Nf6 and does not look at the Winawer.

 

Part 7. The Steinitz Variation

(1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6)

I always thought this was the Classical Variation, with the Steinitz Variation reserved for the continuation 4.e5. As it happens, 4.e5 is very much the focus of this section of the book (accounting for almost all the coverage). Let's look at the alternatives first. Vitiugov devotes a couple of pages to 4.Bd3 – an interesting move, but not particularly difficult for Black, who liquidates the centre and keeps on developing. And he dismisses 4.exd5 in a side-note as an inferior version of the Exchange.

 

The real problem lies in Vitiugov's treatment of 4.Bg5. This is by far the most popular continuation, accounting for almost 60% of the games in this line in ChessBase, and possibly more at club level. (In contrast, 4.e5 was played in only 37% of games in the database.) Black's main continuations are 4…Be7 (Classical), 4…Bb4 (McCutcheon), and 4…dxe4 (Rubinstein). Vitiugov recommends the third of these, reasoning as follows:

"The character of the fight now depends on White's further actions. I will repeat that after 4.Bg5, I recommend to Black to enter a favourable version of the Rubinstein Variation with 4…dxe4 5.Nxe4 Nbd7."

Turn back to the section on the Rubinstein and you will see that there are several problems with this statement. First, there is no previous recommendation to meet 4.Bg5 with 4…exd4, so Vitiugov is not actually repeating anything. Secondly, the position after 4…exd4 is not considered at all. Vitiugov's Rubinstein coverage starts with 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7. This can transpose into the Bg5 lines by 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.Bg5, but (assuming the Classical move order with 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4) White doesn't have to play 6.Nf3. Other moves are possible, such as 6.Bd3, and you're on your own. Finally, Vitiugov does not explain why the Bg5 lines are favourable for Black. The most one can say from his coverage is that other moves offer White more chances of an advantage after 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Nf6, in particular 6.Bd3 or 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.c3. One feels short-changed: readers shouldn't have to work all this out for themselves.

 

Presumably Vitiugov prefers a good version of the Rubinstein to the main line of the McCutcheon or the Classical. That's percentage chess and he's entitled to go down that road. But it is a little inconsistent to recommend using the Rubinstein as a secondary weapon in general (see above) and then make it the only weapon for the Classical Bg5 line.

 

Despite this omission, Vitiugov provides detailed coverage of the 4.e5 Nfd7 lines – in particular the main line with 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3. Here he focuses on 7…Qb6 and 7…a6 (intending queenside expansion with …b5). He regards 7…a6 as Black's best choice. For an alternative view, you could try McDonald's chapter on this line: he makes a big play for 7…Be7 as a high-class waiting move.

 

Watson covers 3…Nf6 for the first time in the 3rd edition, having focussed exclusively on the Winawer in the 1st and 2nd editions. Interestingly, he also opts to meet 4.Bg5 with 4…dxe4, although after 5.Nxe4 he follows up with 5…Be7 rather than …5.Nbd7. He then recaptures on f6 with the bishop rather than the g7 pawn. The system is sound, and safe, but you couldn't describe it as a counter-attack.

 

It's left to McDonald to provide some coverage on the McCutcheon with 4…Bb4. (It was in Watson's 2nd edition too.) You can sense his enthusiasm for the McCutcheon rising from the pages. The critical choice for Black is whether to meet Qg4 with …g6 or …Kf8. McDonald's answer depends on whether White has previously retreated the bishop on g5 to e3, d2 or c1 (after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.e5 h6). After 6.Bd2, the main line, he recommends 6…Bxc3 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Qg4 Kf8. After the fashionable 6.Be3 or Bc1, he recommends 6…Ne4 7.Qg4 g6. Disappointingly, he doesn't explain in any detail why the response is different. You just have to learn both systems. Basically …g6 gives White a target on the kingside, but on the other hand he still has the option of castling long.

 

Verdict: Any serious player of the French ought to get Vitiugov's book, despite its flaws. It's the most up-to-date, and there is a lot of quality material. However, any serious player will probably not want to base his repertoire entirely on this (or any other) single repertoire book. Mix and match is probably the best approach. For this reason I give a table below which summarises what each of our three authors has to offer.

 

Line	Vitiugov	McDonald	Watson 3rd
Sidelines
Exchange 4.Nf3 Bd6	◊		◊
Exchange 4.Nf3 Nc6		◊	◊
Advance
3…b6		◊
4…Nc6 and 5…Qb6	◊		◊
4…Nc6 and 5…Bd7			◊
4…Qb6 and 5…Bd7 (Wade)		◊
Rubinstein
3…dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7	◊
3…dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7 (Fort Knox)		◊
Tarrasch
3…c5 4.exd5 Qxd5	◊		◊
3…Be7	◊	◊	◊
Classical
3…Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 (McCutcheon)		◊
3…Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 (Burn)	◊		◊
3…Nf6 4.e5 (Steinitz)	◊	◊	◊
3…Bb4 (Winawer) without Qg4	◊		◊
3…Bb4 (Winawer) 7.Qg4 cxd4	◊
3…Bb4 (Winawer) 7.Qg4 0-0			◊

 

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