Viacheslav Eingorn is an extremely experienced grandmaster from Ukraine. He played regularly and successfully in the Top League of the USSR Championship in the 1980s, and is the author of Decision-Making at the Chessboard and Creative Chess Opening Preparation.
International Master Valentin Bogdanov has over thirty years' experience as a chess trainer, and is also from Ukraine. His pupils include Moskalenko, Savchenko and Drozdovsky, and he has acted as a second for Eingorn since the late 1970s.
Chess Explained books provide an understanding of an opening and the middlegames to which it leads, enabling you to find the right moves and plans in your own games. It is as if you were sitting at the board with a chess coach answering your questions about the plans for both sides, the ideas behind particular moves, and what specific knowledge you need to have.
The French Defence is one of the most important chess openings. Its qualities are such that it appeals to a wide range of chess temperaments: it is solid yet uncompromising, and with a variety of chaotic variations to appeal to the most bloodthirsty of players, but also offering more tranquil lines to those seeking a quieter existence. While it is hard for White to avoid at least some imbalance in the position, he also has a wide choice. In some of the most critical lines, he accepts major structural weaknesses in return for piece-play and dynamic chances, while he can also seek to establish a modest space advantage without such heavy positional commitments.
As following, this book is divided into 8 main chapters...
1.The Advance Variation
2. The Tarrasch Variation: Lines with ...Nf6
3. The Tarrasch Variation with ...c5
4. Burn and Rubinstein Lines: Black plays ...dxe4
5. The Classical French (3.Nc3 Nf6)
6. The Winawer Variation (3.Nc3 Bb4)
7. The Winawer with 4.e5 c5
8. The Main-Line Winawer: 7.Qg4
First comes the introduction where the authors tell a little about the rationale for the opening and a bit about the general ideas and plans. Next are the chapter introductions. These give a slightly more in-depth view of the particular line and tell the basics of what the reader will see in each of the annotated games included in the chapter. At the end of the chapter is a little paragraph where a bit of the line's current status and closing ideas are expressed.
Overall it is a very nice work, keeping to the standards of the series. Eingorn and Bogdanov create a nice balance of text and explanations, making this a very instructive and valuable resource. A great tool for players looking to explore some ideas from either side.
NSG Rating = 9.1 of 10