Books on the French Defence



The review format is title, description, assessment, mark out of five.

Repertoire books are not intended to be comprehensive in breadth but are intended to be comprehensive in depth.
Reference books are intended to be comprehensive in both breadth and depth.
Introductory texts are intended to be comprehensive in breadth but not in depth.
Supplemetary texts are designed to be used in conjunction with a reference or repertoire book.
Games collections can be any or none of the above!


"The Complete French" by Lev Psakhis
Reference book.
Lots of densely packed material. Psakhis likes to build a great deal into a single game which allows him to fit many games and game references into comparatively small spaces, but does make the book a little less accessible. The material is sound and very little of it is seriously affected by modern theory, though of course, it is no longer 'complete'.
4/5

"Mastering the Fench" by Neil McDonald et al
Introductory text.
Material arranged by pawn structure. Good as an introduction to the French defence but skimps on some of the more advanced points.
3.5/5

"The French Defence" by Alexei Suetin
Reference book.
Good coverage, but a little dated. A very enjoyable read.
3.5/5

"Winning with the French" by Wolfgang Uhlmann
Author's games collection.
Fighting chess from a French defence expert. Reads like a repertoire book.
4/5

"How to play the French Defence" by Shaun Taulbut
Introductory text.
Light on theory but contains some good explanations and well chosen games. The arrangement of the material is a bit odd, and some of the sections are really a bit too short. Not bad as introduction but you'll probably need more material if you want to play the opening regularly.
3/5

"Play the French" by John Watson
Repertoire book.
A classic. This is the best book on the French defence and if you play the opening then you should have a copy.
5/5

"The French Defence" by Nigel Short
Supplemetary text.
(Full title is "New Ideas in the French Defence"). Focuses on main lines. The exchange variation and other odds and ends are covered in just over a page. Lots of game references and some variations but very little verbal explanation. Short's inimitable wit makes itself felt in the chapter introductions. Probably not suitable for someone unfamiliar with the opening.
3/5

"The French Winawer" by Neil McDonald
Reference book.
Could have done with a bit more detail throughout but provides some good explanations of important themes in this line. Perhaps just a little over-optimistic (on Black's behalf) in places.
3.5/5

"The Main Line French: 3 Nc3" by Steffen Pedersen
Reference book.
Parts of the book are excellent, other parts are fairly good. The section on the Rubinstein variation is very good.
3.5/5

"The French Tarrasch" by John Emms
Reference book.
Quite detailed coverage of the most important variations but a bit light on the less popular lines and early deviations. Good explanations of key themes.
3.5/5


Conclusion
Watson's "Play the French" is a must for everyone who plays the French defence regularly. "Mastering the French" by McDonald is the best introduction. Psakhis' "The Complete French" is good but a bit dated so if you absolutely must have the latest word on every line then you might consider his latest contirbutions (not reviewed here) which update the original text and expand it into 4 volumes.


Other books on the French Defence:


Books on the French Defence which do not exist, despite having an ISBN:


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