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GM Fabien Libiszewski
The French Defense has been a favorite of many of the world’s top players, including
former World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik and the legendary Viktor Korchnoi.
In the modern day, Wesley So, Ding Liren and Alexander Morozevich all rely on the French
as one of their major opening weapons.
Now you can learn this powerful opening from a world-renowned expert, French GM Fabien
Libiszewski. Over the course of 17 hours, Fabien reveals how to counter all of White’s
setups from the main lines to the dangerous gambits and offbeat deviations.
You will learn grandmaster strategies that will turn your initial cramped position into total
domination of the board, plus discover sneak ways to lure your rivals into tempting but
deadly traps that give you quick wins.
The Bulletproof French Defense works perfectly as both a complete training course and as
an invaluable reference guide. And who better to learn the French Defense from than a
French GM!
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Chapter 1: Introduction and Model Games
1. The French Defense is a chess opening for Black against 1.e4. It has the
reputation to be resilient and solid, and it occurs after the moves 1.e4 e6. You
can see this position below.
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11. Another way to activate the c8 bishop is to
play the freeing move …e5. This break
frequently occurs in structures where Black
plays …f6 undermining White’s center. With
so much pressure on e5, it is usually in
White’s interest to take on f6. Later, Black
can play a well-timed …e5.
12. Apart from this general knowledge on the
French Defense, GM Fabien Libiszewski
suggests following strong players in the
openings you want to play.
13. Regularly check the games of the world’s
leading experts or your favorite players in the French. You will see how they deal
with different setups and become familiar with the key concepts, latest trends or
opening novelties. It also pays to know the classics in the opening you play.
14. One of the greatest French Defense experts of all time is Viktor Korchnoi. He
played the French Defense for the whole of his career and with great success. It
is tremendously beneficial for any French Defense player to study his games. On
top of that, GM Fabian Libiszewski recommends studying the games of Mikhail
Botvinnik, Tigran Petrosian and Rafael Vaganian – three more French Defense
experts.
1. Once you’ve chosen an opening, aim for an overview of the relevant material on
the French. GM Fabien Libiszewski provides you with a complete and bulletproof
French Defense repertoire!
2. He not only covers all the main lines but also important sidelines and move order
tricks. On top of that, he gives more than one recommendation against a certain
line. This allows you to stay flexible within your opening system. GM Libiszewski
also explains why he recommends certain lines over others (for example the
Winawer Variation against 3.Nc3 or the main line in the Tarrasch Defense).
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3. The course is divided into five larger chapters, each of them containing several
subchapters. GM Libiszewski includes both theoretical sections in each chapter
and presents instructive model games which demonstrate the variations he
covers.
4. The third chapter deals with the Exchange Variation 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5
exd5.
5. The fourth chapter is about the Advance Variation 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5.
6. The fifth chapter deals with the move 3.Nd2 and arises – as the name suggests –
after the moves 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2.
7. Chapter six covers the most frequently played variation against the French
Defense 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3.
8. The seventh and final chapter is about White’s other options to play against the
French Defense such as the King’s Indian Attack (KIA) or the line after 1.e4
e6 2.d4 d5 3.Bd3.
1. Many White players like to avoid the strategically complex lines with a closed
center in the French Defense. Instead, they choose to clarify the situation in the
center early on by exchanging on d5. These positions are a lot simpler and easier
to play than other lines of the French Defense.
2. The Exchange Variation (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5) leads to a symmetrical
pawn structure. Although White can’t hope for an opening advantage in this
variation, it is also difficult to play for a win as Black. White has an extra tempo in
a symmetrical structure. The Exchange variation is often played by players looking
for a quick draw with White.
3. The good news for Black, however, is that White can’t force a draw in this line.
According to GM Fabian Libiszewski, Black can unbalance the position by castling
on the opposite side to White.
4. GM Fabien Libiszewski suggests two good options against the move 4.Bd3. Black
can either play 4…c5 or 4…Nc6.
5. Black gets an isolated d-pawn after 4…c5, but White’s bishop is not ideally placed
on d3 as it blocks the d-file. Black’s d-pawn often turns out not to be a weakness
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as White can’t attack it. Black can develop all his pieces with ease and often plays
an early …Ne4, putting pressure on White’s kingside dark-squares.
6. If Black plays 4…Nc6, he immediately attacks White’s d-pawn. Black’s main idea in
this variation is to play …Bd6, …Nge7, …Qd7 and castle queenside. He aims for a
position with opposite-side castling in which he has good prospects to attack on
the kingside.
7. If White plays 4.Bf4, Black has nothing to fear. Black should go for 4…Bd6 and
exchange the dark-squared bishops. Afterwards, Black can easily develop his
pieces in a symmetrical position.
8. White’s most ambitious try in the Exchange Variation is probably 4.c4. Black
should answer this move with 4…Bb4+ 5.Nc3 Nf6. It is important to remember
that Black does not want to take too early on c4. Black only takes the c4-pawn
once White has moved his light-squared bishop. White usually has to place his
knight from g1 on e2, because Nf3 can always be answered with the nasty pin
…Bg4.
9. The most common move for White in the
Exchange Variation is 4.Nf3. GM Libiszewski
presents two options against this move:
4…Nc6 and 4…Nf6.
The move 4…Nc6 gives Black better chances
to play for a win, while the move 4…Nf6 is a
more solid approach. After 4…Nc6, Black
needs to be familiar with the line 5.Bb5 (5.Bd3
only transposes to the 4.Bd3 line) 5…Bd6 6.c4
dxc4 7.d5 (pinning and attacking the knight)
a6! 8.Ba4 b5! 9.dxc6 bxa4. Black gets active
piece play and the bishop pair in return for his
damaged pawn structure.
10. The move 4…Nf6 leads to quiet play after 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.0-0 (6.Qe2+ Be6!). Black is
a tempo down in a completely symmetrical structure, but he should manage to
equalize easily.
11. In general, Black does not need to fear the Exchange variation. Although some
professional players come up with a subtle new idea in this line every now and
then, White usually only plays this line when looking for a draw.
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Chapter 4: French Defense Advance Variation (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5)
1. The Advance Variation (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5) is a popular line for White against
the French Defense and usually leads to a complex strategic battle.
2. By playing 3.e5, White releases the tension in the center by closing it. White tries
to gain a space advantage and fixes the pawn chain. He also hopes to restrict
Black’s c8 bishop for a long time. Due to his space disadvantage, Black’s main
problem is placing his pieces on sensible squares.
3. However, the 3.e4-e5 pawn advance has its weaknesses too. Now Black starts
pressuring the center with 3… c7-c5 (attacking the pawn chain at its base) and
the d4 pawn becomes problematic. White usually has to play 4.c3 to stabilize the
center. Later, Black can increase the pressure on the d4 pawn with …Nc6, …Qb6
and …Nh6-f5.
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6. Therefore, White’s main move is 4.c3, stabilizing the center. After 4…Nc6, White
has another sideline with 5.Be3 Qb6! 6.Qd2, protecting the pawn on b2, 6…Bd7
7.Nf3, Black should play 7…cxd4! 8.cxd4 Rc8 9.Nc3 Na5!, stopping White’s knight
from coming to c5 via a4. Black is fine in this line.
A key rule in the Advance variation is not to take on d4 before White moves his b1
knight. If the knight is still on b1, he can come to c3 in one move. From c3, it can
come to a4 and c5. However, the variation with 5.Be3 is an exception to this rule
as Black is in time to play …Na5!, covering the
a4 square and starting action on the queenside
himself.
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the fact that White already weakened his structure on the queenside. Black can
occupy the weak b3 square later in the game. What’s more, the move …c4 is
usually undesirable for Black as White could go for the b3 break and, after …cxb3
axb3, White could play c4. With the move a3 included, however, White can’t play
b3 and recapture with the a-pawn after …cxb3.
10. The move 6.Be2 leads to the absolute main line of the Advance variation. Here,
GM Libiszewski suggests playing the move 6…Nge7 with the idea of bringing the
knight to g6, …Be7, …0-0 and then undermining White’s center with the typical
move …f6.
1. The variation with 3.Nd2, known as the Tarrasch variation, looks like a modest
and harmless approach at first glance. However, appearances can be deceptive!
2. White wants to keep his pawn center on the e4 and d4 squares and simply
continues developing his pieces. In contrast to the line with 3.Nc3, the
main idea of this setup is to avoid the pin of the knight by …Bb4. White keeps his
c-pawn free to move and 3…Bb4?! can be answered by 4.c3.
3. The drawback of White’s setup, however, is that the knight on d2 blocks in the c1
bishop. White can’t develop his queenside easily and this should give some
benefits to Black.
4. GM Libiszewski recommends the move 3…Nf6 for Black against this line. However,
he also mentions that there are plenty of interesting alternatives for Black. Black
can play 3…c5 (the second most popular move and a move which Korchnoi used
in his Candidates Match against Spassky), 3…Nc6, 3…Be7 or even 3…a6. When
learning a new opening, it is usually a good approach to start by learning one line
against each system in detail. Later, you can expand your repertoire step by step
and start to vary within your opening by including more variations in your
repertoire.
5. After 3…Nf6, White’s main move is by far 4.e5. White can also play 4.Bd3. Here,
Black should reply with 4…c5 5.c3 (White can still transpose to the main line with
5.e5 Nfd7) 5…Nc6 6.Ngf3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.Nxe4. Black reaches a favorable
version of a position in which he is playing against an IQP. Black can play …Be7,
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…0-0, …b6, …Bb7 and the maneuver …Nc6-b4-d5 to block White’s isolated d-
pawn.
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9. Apart from the sharp move 9.Nf4, White
can go for the absolute main line in the
Tarrasch variation with 9.exf6. Here, GM
Libiszewski does not recommend the main
move 9…Nxf6 with thousands of games
and a lot of theory to learn by heart.
Instead, he recommends the move
9…Qxf6. Black’s next moves are …h6
(preventing White from playing Bg5 with
the idea to go for the maneuver Bg5-h4-g3
and to exchange the dark-squared bishops.
It is key to remember that Black does not
want to exchange the dark-squared bishops.), …Bd6, …0-0. Black has a
comfortable position and play along the half-open f-file. Sometimes, Black can go
for an exchange sacrifice on f3, eliminating an important defender of the center,
winning White’s d4 pawn and getting two strong central pawns as well as
extremely active pieces.
1. The move 3.Nc3 is the most natural and frequently played move for White against
the French Defense. White develops his knight to a good square and protects the
pawn on e4 at the same time.
2. Black has three main options against White’s setup, 3...dxe4 (the Rubinstein
Variation), 3...Bb4 (the Winawer Variation) and GM Libiszewski suggestion
3...Nf6 (the Classical Variation).
3. After the moves 3.Nc3 Nf6, White has two main options – 4.Bg5 and 4.e5 (the
Steinitz Variation).
4. After 4.Bg5, White threatens 5.e5 attacking the pinned knight on f6. GM
Libiszewski recommends the move 4…Be7 for Black. Another popular and
fashionable try for Black is 4…dxe4, the Burn variation.
5. After 4.Bg5 Be7, the main line is 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 (6.h4 is an interesting
alternative, the so-called Alekhine-Chatard Attack. GM Libiszewski recommends
declining this gambit with 6…Nc6.) Qxe7 7.f4 a6 (directed against the move Nb5)
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8.Nf3 Nb6 9.Qd2 Bd7 10.Bd3 c5. Finally, Black starts to counterattack with the
typical move …c5.
1. The starting position of the King’s Indian Attack against the French arises after the
moves 1e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 Nc6 5.g3 Nf6 6.Bg2 Be7 7.0-0 0-0.
Here, Black has two options. He can go for the
main move 8.e5 or play the tricky waiting
move 8.Re1.
2. Generally speaking, White’s idea is the
following: If Black castles to the kingside,
White plays e5 and goes for a kingside attack.
The move 8.e5 is strong because it removes a
defender (the knight on f6) from the Black
king. As we all know, knights – if they are next
to the king – are excellent defending pieces.
3. While White tries to launch an attack against
Black’s king, Black tries to create counterplay
on the queenside. A typical attacking pattern for White is to play Bf4, Nf1, h4,
Nh2, Ng4 and Ng5. Sometimes, White can also play h5 and h6.
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4. Moreover, with White’s bishop on f4 and Black’s queen on c7, White can
sometimes sacrifice his knight on d5 and play e5-e6 on the next move, attacking
the queen on c7 and the knight on d7. Therefore, it’s wise for Black to remove the
queen from c7 once White plays Bf4.
5. 8.Re1 is a clever waiting move. White keeps his cards close to his chest. He can
still play e5 on the next move, but he can also take on d5. Black is best advised to
expand on the queenside with 8…b5. Afterwards, the light-squared bishop can
come to b7. Black should not have any problems in this line.
6. Finally, GM Libiszewski covers rare sidelines like 2.b3, 2.Nf3 and 2.f4. None of
these lines are particularly challenging for Black. Still, it’s useful to become familiar
with Fabian’s recommendations against them.
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