The French Tarrasch: Understanding an important modern opening

The Tarrasch Variation is White's soundest response to the French Defence and is favoured by positional and tactical players alike. The problem with playing ttJc3 against the French, is that Black just plays the Winawer, doubles your c pawns, gangs up and wins you're a pawn, regroups and defends for a bit and then promotes his a-pawn. It's just too easy for Black, so complained one of my students when he realised that his next opponent was a hardened French Defence player. Well, I must admit to feeling a mixture of smugness and relief at the knowledge that, as an avid Tarrasch devotee, I never have to worry about such things. I briefly showed him a few lines and he was struck by how simple it all looked. Often when studying a new opening, it can look rather foreign to begin with, but this was not the case here. Perhaps, having played the Tarrasch for virtually all my chessplaying life, 1 am a little biased, but it is true that the Tarrasch is really quite simple to play for both White and Black. Of course the real secret is to know how to play it well, but that's what this book is all about. The Spanish exchange is a respected chess opening where understanding the key ideas, plans and typical pawn structures is more important than memorizing long variations. This text explains both the theory and important thematic ideas which surround this opening. To succeed with the Spanish Exchange, its more important to understand key ideas, plans, and typical pawn structures than to memorize long variations. A manual that explains both the theory and important themes that surround this opening. A guide to this classical opening which has come back into vogue due to the efforts of Garry Kasparov. In the BATSFORD CHESS OPENING GUIDE series. The Scotch is a classical chess opening that is back in vogue due to the efforts of world champion Garry Kasparov. Peter Wells. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [6]) And Index.