Play the French, 4th Edition - Watson

The wait is over. Finally it's here... the much anticipated 4th edition of John Watson's Play the French - the must-have book for all French Defence players for over 20 years! Watson's highly acclaimed work presents a repertoire for Black in the French Defence against all of White's recognized options. Just as in previous editions, Watson often arms the reader with not just one, but a choice of two or sometimes even three choices against the main lines. He also provides a thorough grounding on the positional and tactical aspects of the opening, and outlines the typical plans for both White and Black. Watson is renowned for his creativity and expertise in the opening, and once again this edition features an abundance of innovative ideas for Black. Watson also provides an update of many other lines he considered in previous editions.

Features

• A French Defence repertoire for Black
• State-of-the-art coverage of the key lines
• Packed with new ideas and critical analysis

Specifications

• 432 Pages
• Paperback
• Publisher: Everyman
• Published: August 2012

Reviews

• "Play the French" is about to lead the charts of French Defense books. For me it is one of the best repertoire books and I can only recommend it. - Uwe Bekemann www.bdf-fernschachbund.de (German Corresspondence Chess Assoc.)
• A very important book on the subject of the French defence! Whoever plays the French, will certainly not be able to avoid this work! - Martin Reiger Rochade Europa/Schach Zeitung
• If you play the French Defence, this book is quite simply indispensable. It's a fully comprehensive, extremely intelligent, supremely accomplished work. - Paul Kane Manchester Chess Federation
• No player with the French in his repertoire can afford not to buy this book. - Bab en Truus Wilders Schaakrubriek (Dutch newspaper)
• For many, Play the French has been considered as the book for fans of 1 e4 e6. This new edition will definitely keep the tradition going. If you play the French Defence, you need to add this to your library without delay. - Sean Marsh CHESS magazine
• Now in its fourth incarnation, Play The French is still the book that all other repertoire books wish to become. This book is amazing and complicated, and amazingly complicated. Watson steers the reader through the material with a steady hand, though without losing the "Watson touch," which is where he heads off on a tangent along a line he finds fascinating, even if the overall coverage of the main line neither requires it nor supports it. In this fashion, he covers countless minor lines that would otherwise have been ignored. These lines can then be explored further by the reader and on the appropriate occasion be used as a surprise weapon. This book is well beyond the level of most players rated below 1800, but for ambitious players, both those employing the French as black or playing 1 e4 should invest in this book without hesitation. ****** (6 out of 6) - Carsten Hansen: ChessCafe.com