Nobody writes better repertoire books than John Watson does, and the latest reprise of his French repertoire only adds to his reputation. Using meticulous research coupled with thorough explanation and original analysis, the author develops a mainstream repertoire that should stand up to the most serious scrutiny. 

In my opinion, there is no single author who has written as many great books as Watson in the last ten years. PLAY THE FRENCH NEW EDITION (1996), THE UNCONVENTIONAL KING'S INDIAN (1997), SECRETS OF MODERN CHESS STRATEGY (1998 - click to see Silman's review), THE GAMBIT GUIDE TO THE MODERN BENONI (2001 - click to see Silman's review), and CHESS STRATEGY IN ACTION (2003 - click to see reviews by Bauer and Donaldson) were all excellent books. I believe Watson's CHESS STRATEGY IN ACTION is the best book of the year 2003. His latest book is a worthy successor to those previous efforts.

As with his two previous French books, Watson creates a repertoire to cover all plausible White attempts after 1.e4 e6. In fact, Watson covers so many lines that receive little treatment in other places (often quite early deviations) that this book may prove useful to French players even if they do not follow Watson's specific repertoire. This thoroughness is typical of Watson's work - he doesn't simply parrot the same "book lines" inherited from other books. 

Another notable feature of the repertoire is its variety. Against most main lines, Watson provides at least two methods for black. This is the preferred approach for repertoire books, as it gives the reader an opportunity to choose lines that better fit his or her style of play. Further, if one of the lines should be found wanting, the book could still retain more of its theoretical value. Watson's main lines are generally mainstream, so it's not likely that too many big holes will be punched in them, but the book also contains a vast store of suggestions (even some for white) that should allow the reader ample opportunity for further analysis and original play.

Recently, another French expert, Lev Psakhis, wrote a couple of books on the French as well. Because both were released about the same time as Watson's book, there was no opportunity for either author to consult the other's work. As a consequence, I compared the sections on the Advance variation in both books to get some insight into who had done a more thorough job on the lines in question. Unlike Watson, the Psakhis books (ADVANCE AND OTHER ANTI-FRENCH VARIATIONS and FRENCH DEFENSE 3 Nd2) are complete coverage books. While Watson uses the standard analytical tree method, Psakhis presents his analysis via complete games.  I generally prefer the tree method for the sake of clarity, and this is one of the key problems with Psakhis' books, especially the one on the Advance and other anti-French variations, which I found riddled with missing lines, confusing sub-structure and an overall lack of cohesion. There is no editor or proofreader listed, which isn't surprising since it seems that there was little editing or proofing done.

In general, Watson's work was more thorough. There were numerous places where Watson either improves on existing theory or has done a more exhaustive look than Psakhis. There is also no comparison whatsoever in terms of organization of material, commentary, and production. 

One of the interesting aspects of Watson's French books is that the repertoire has changed over time. For example, in the first edition the secondary line for the Winawer after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 was 4.Qd7. However, there were some serious holes punched into black's lines, and Watson switched to 4.c5 5.a3 Bxc3 6.bxc3 Qc7 in the second edition. In this edition, Watson has made a major change in coverage: the main line Winawer after 6.Ne7 7.Qg4 Qc7 has been replaced by the newer 7.0-0. Likewise, the high-class waiting move 3.Be7 has replaced the main line of the Tarrasch, 3.Nd2 Nf6.

In Watson's opinion, the theory around both of these variations has gotten too broad and deep to manage, and you can't help but give him the benefit of the doubt. In fact, most players seek the comfort of a repertoire book because they do not have the time or inclination to wade through the deep thicket of mainstream opening theory. Watson's choices should benefit those players (although the theory around 7.0-0 is plenty deep as well).  On the other hand, there likely will be players of the lines recommended in the previous edition who will be disappointed by the switch. On the whole, though, these new choices make sense for the vast majority of players.

It's also notable that, for the first time, Watson includes coverage of the Classical Variation (3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 and 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7). This provides the black player additional choices against both 3.Nc3 and 3.Nd2, since the variation can also be reached with 3.dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Bg5 Be7. 

These changes also highlight Watson's serious approach to revising his previous editions.  While many authors make only minor changes (usually obvious corrections) to previous editions, this is closer to a brand new book than a revision. Besides the fact that this book is 50 pages bigger and the page size larger, the commentary is generally refreshed, and, given the hot status of French theory, the lines are substantially revised. There are lots of new interesting ideas not found in the second edition.

There are also places where Watson's ideas from the second edition have been found wanting. While Watson is a serious French theoretician and player (and much stronger than I on both counts), his analysis should still be subjected to scrutiny. One line from the last book that has definitely been found wanting is 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3 Nh6!? 7.b4 cxd4 8.Bxh6 gxh6 9.cxd4 Rg8 10.Nc3! Rg4?, which, as the author admits, "looks bad for several reasons, one of them being 11.h3 Rf4 12.Bb5 a5 13.0-0! axb4 14.axb4 Rxa1 15.Qxa1 Rxf3 16.gxf3 Qxd4 17.Qa8 with a clear advantage for white." To the author's credit, he readily admits the error and provides the evidence - many authors would simply switch to a different line and never admit they were wrong in the first place.

The depth of coverage found here is a welcome new direction for Everyman Chess. In most cases, their opening books have either been the "Starting Out" series, which provides less thorough coverage and analysis and concentrates on explaining key concepts, or coverage of a single variation in a popular opening or the entirety of a less popular opening - in somewhere between 125 and 200 pages. Both of these formats suffer coverage-wise.  That is definitely not the case here. 

Of course, depth brings its own set of challenges. Many players will find the analysis beyond the scope of their chess understanding, and some will view a repertoire book stretching to nearly 300 pages too taxing on their available time (or spare brain cells). I would guess that the book would appeal best to experienced French players or those with an ELO rating of 1800 and up.

In general, the book's production values are very strong. The paper, printing, and diagrams are all good, and the book opens and lays flat with a little bit of help. I haven't found any typos of note, and the organization is good. I would note one area where Gambit books are a bit easier to work with - when the analysis breaks off into two or more major subvariations, Gambit notes the page where the analysis begins. This is enormously helpful in allowing the player to navigate between variations. Often a player is only interested in one of the choices, and he or she can quickly flip to the appropriate page rather than having to skim through several pages of analysis of other lines. 

In conclusion, John Watson's latest French repertoire book is a worthy successor to its two excellent predecessors. As before, he has combined thorough research with cogent explanation and a great deal of original analysis. While some of his recommendations may have changed, his updated and new coverage sets the standard for books on this defense.

Click to see Silman's review or Donaldson's review of this book.