The French is one of Blacks soundest defences to 1 e4 and is very popular at all levels of chess. Club players enjoy its super-solid structure while at the top its played by famous grandmasters such as Vishy Anand and the young Russian star Alexander Morozevich. With his first two moves Black obtains a substantial foothold in the centre and a structure that is incredibly difficult to break down. In this user-friendly book International Master Byron Jacobs revisits the basic principles behind the