The French Defense C10-19: 523 Characteristic Chess Puzzles

This is a collection of chess puzzles from French opening games under 20 moves. They highlight the usual tricks and traps likely to be seen and employed in the game. In this opening, White has a majority in the center and can easily push into Black’s territory. Greater mobility creates greater opportunities for tactics and the French is no exception. Arguably this book is for the player on the white side who wants to turn a space advantage into a win. Among the multitude of tactics here are at least 3 sacrifice themes - the bishop for the h7 pawn, the knight for the f7 pawn and the semi-sacrifice of the d4 pawn. Black’s mobility on the queen-side can turn a knight sac into a productive invasion but the black queen can often be trapped. Not only will the reader learn to navigate through the opening but will also sharpen his or her abilities to recognize crucial tactics on the chess board.