The French Defence 3

This volume concludes Emanuel Berg’s ambitious three-part Black repertoire in the French Defence. Where the first two books built the aggressive Winawer (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4) into a complete weapon, Volume 3 covers everything else White can throw at the French — so that, taken together, the series answers 1.e4 e6 in full.

The heart of the book is the Advance Variation (3.e5), the most thematic French structure of all, where White grabs space with the d4–e5 pawn chain and Black undermines it with the standard ...c5 break. Berg gives Black a fighting, well-worked-out response to all of White’s tries here — 4.c3, 4.dxc5, 4.Qg4 and 4.Nf3 — along with complete coverage of the Tarrasch (3.Nd2), the Exchange Variation, the King’s Indian Attack, and the various sidelines that avoid 3.Nc3.

As a Grandmaster Repertoire title, the treatment is deep and concrete: this is serious, theory-rich analysis aimed at players who want to meet 1.e4 with the French as a genuine winning attempt, not merely a solid equaliser. Berg explains the typical plans and pawn breaks alongside the lines.

At 472 pages, it is a demanding book for ambitious club players and above. With Volumes 1 and 2 it forms one of the most complete and uncompromising French repertoires available to Black.