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46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ideas and, yes, variations!, May 23, 2003
It is very, very refreshing to see an openings book so specialized and thorough as this one. Watson shows what's going on in addition to providing variations for whatever you are likely to find playing the French: 1. Advance Variation
2. Exchange Variation
3. Tarrasch
4. Winnawer
5. King's Indian Attack In that sense the book provides you with a repertoire in the French full of VARIATIONS and IDEAS. Biased? Of course! Objective? You bet! Watson goes as far as telling me, the reader, what was inaccurate in the previous edition of his book! He also encourages me to review other treatises in French in those analyses that he deems incomplete! He warns the reader when he is presenting untested ideas! Can you ask for more? Despite not having the title "Win with the French" or "Beat anybody with the French" I can say that the text is very, very geared towards showing paths where black can get, if not an advantage, at least a pleasant position from which it will be easy to play. I am happy with this book and will never cease to come back to it for advice and study. Very independent treatise, very personal, very honest and very objective. Ah! This is nothing like a database dump... Is more than that and I can see that Watson did play through each and every line when writing the book.
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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Book on the French Available, September 21, 1998
It's a pity that John Watson is not as prolific as some of the other chess writers. He is one of the best out there today. The prior edition of this book (1984) was the francophile's bible for many years and made life miserable for many of us 1. e4 players. I, for one, had to buy that damned book just to see what I'd be facing over-the-board. Only the passage of time and the advancement of theory has put that book to rest. Not to worry, though, Frenchies -- Watson has come up with a whole new arsenal with which to annoy the 1. e4 crowd. I especially like the fact that this effort is more balanced than the last one. There are ideas for White here, too. Had I come across this book earlier, I would certainly have won a key postal game where Black (who obviously didn't have the book either) played down an inferior line and should've fallen under a vicious sacrificial attack. Unfortunately, I followed the line suggested in the now ancient BCO2 and MCO13 and ended up with nothing to show for my first-move advantage. If you play the French or play against it, buy this book. No, buy lots of IM Watson's books so that he will be encouraged to write more and we will not have to suffer the efforts of others who do not write nearly as well.
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33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A real gem, January 17, 2004
This is a truly outstanding book. I have played the French defence as long as I have played chess, so I was excited when I heard John Watson was writing a new edition of "Play the French." If you love the French Defence as I do, or if you want an opening book that will give you a complete answer to e4, you cannot find a book as good as this. I am a bit of a chess book junkie, and I buy and read all kinds of opening books. The best books are those that are well researched, objective, and most importantly have plenty of original explanations and analysis. This book gets an 'A' on all counts. "Play the French" is a repetoire book, designed to give the playerof the black pieces a complete response to e4. Watson is extremely generous though in providing at least two different repetoires for every line! As an example, after 3.Nc3 there is a repetoire for playing the Classical (3 ..Nf6) and the Winnawer (3 ..Bb4) and each system in the Classical and Winnawer is given two lines to choose from. There are four different systems given against the King's Indian Attack, each well researched and with original analysis and ideas! Often Watson uses different lines than he did in previous versions (but he does point out any significant change in the assessment in the previously used line, along with supporting variations). I'm USCF 2281, but I think this book will appeal to just about all players. Lower (and higher) rated players will appreciate all the written explanations, and higher rated players will appreciate the in depth analysis. If this book is like Watson's previus volumes of "Play the French" then some of the obscure lines he recommends will end up as main lines. Watson freqently starts the discussion of a variation by describing trends and any significant novelties that have changed assessments. Occasionally, he quotes performance rating statistics from Chessbase on a position to demonstrate tournament results. The book is loaded with practical help describing how to play certain types of resulting endgames, how to decide where a bishop should be in a certain line, why a certain move order is critical, and typical methods. The book is a gold mine of opening preparation and French middlegame knowledge. There are many French Defence books on the market right now and I buy them as soon as they are off the press. Not taking away anything from the others (I like Pederson's books) This is the best.
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