French: Advance and Other Lines

In the third and final volume of his series on the French Defence, Steffen Pedersen covers all of White`s alternatives to 3 Nc3 and 3 Nd2. These include the aggressive Advance, the quiet Exchange, and side-variations such as the Two Knights, King`s Indian Attack and the Wing Gambit. In these lines, it is White who determines the central structure and sets the pace of the game.

With the Advance Variation, White establishes a space advantage, and will often seek to exploit this by creating attacking chances on the kingside, or a bind on the queenside. Both sides have a variety of systems at their disposal, and the player who is better acquainted with the intricacies of these lines will tend to come out on top. It is a perennial favourite among players with a direct aggressive style: Shirov has played the Advance many times in recent years, while it has been employed by Sveshnikov and Kupreichik throughout their careers.

The Exchange Variation leads to open and generally symmetrical positions. Pedersen carefully examines White`s attempts to seize the initiative, and also recommends ways for Black to create play if White adopts a more stolid approach.

"I do not detect any real bias toward either side in either book, but rather a plain, objective perspective with suggestions and improvements offered for both players." - Lou Mercuri, Chess Horizons

"Despite the strong competition in this field, these books can be recommended to anyone interested in playing either side of the French Defence. They are very suitable for keen club and tournament players, but even quite strong players new to these lines will find very useful instruction." - Phil Adams, http://www.btinternet.com/~cccs.chess

"Explanations of this kind may well be entirely unnecessary for stronger players, but Pedersen caters to them with his original material, improvements over existing theory, and hundreds of suggestions and re-evaluations throughout the book. Those who play the French, or face it as white, will not regret investing in this volume." - Carsten Hansen, Chesscafe.com

"These three volumes [on the French] offer an extremely comprehensive coverage of all the variations, and present an unbiased and objective survey of the whole system, so are equally useful for both Black and White." - Alan Sutton, En Passant

"Danish international master Steffen Pedersen provides excellent coverage of an important modern chess opening in French: Advance and Other Lines." - PHL Hughes, Chess Post

"Pedersen writes clearly and helps the reader to understand the ideas arising from the various lines. This series of books covering the French Defence will prove invaluable to French devotees and those that want to learn more about this most resilient of defences. Recommended." - Michael Blake, http://www.bfcc-online.org.uk/index.htm, IECG

• Casa editrice Gambit
• Code 5527
• Anno 2005
• Pagine p. 144
• Isbn 9781904600404