A book on the Tarrasch in the French defense

Hi, I have just bought a book called: How to Beat the French Defence: The Essential Guide to the Tarrasch. - this is the variation I usually play as white.

Have any of you fellow chess players read this book? And if so, what did you think of it?

Regards

Summum_Malum

Haven't read it, but I heard good things about it. Google it with the word "review", and I'm sure you'll find some online reviews.

--Fromper

I'm reading it. Seems good, but some of the variations go too deep for my level.

Just out of curiousity, does it give much coverage to the Rubenstein variation (3. dxe4)? And if it does, does it talk about the Fort Knox sub-variation, where black plays Bd7-c6? That's what I play as black against the Tarrasch these days.

What does it recommend against 3....Be7

The last 50 pages are devoted to the Rubinstein.  Chapter 21 Section D is the Fort Knox which lasts about 5 pages.  (He never calls it the Fort Knox Variation.)  Fromper I have the same attitude as you.  I avoid the Tarrasch by playing a narrow and safe line of the Rubinstein, although I don't play the Fort Knox specifically.  However, I bought How to Beat the French Defence by Tzermiadianos to broaden my horizons regarding the Tarrasch French.

That is Chapter 7.  I recommend getting the book.

I started playing the Fort Knox, because it's recommended in "How to Play Against 1.e4" by GM Neil McDonald. It seems like a safe, solid way to play against both 3. Nd2 and 3. Nc3 without having to study theory, and it gets black's problem bishop out from behind the e6 pawn early.

But there is actually one tactical line, where white plays Nge5 after black's Bc6, and white might actually get a winning attack with a knight sac on e6 or f7. I'm a little nervous about facing that line, but it would only be someone who has studied this particular line who would ever play that. So I'm mildly curious about what books (if any) might recommend that for white, and how they say to proceed against the defense that McDonald recommends. Mostly a theoretical discussion though - I can't imagine any opponents at my level actually studying this particular line in that much detail as white.

Tzermiadianos does not mention Neg5 (if that is what you meant Fromper). 

Sidebar: I wish someone would write a book of openings that are actually played at the 1900 elo level.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I meant. Just wondering if any authors had mentioned Neg5 against the Fort Knox for white, other than the one book that recommends the Fort Knox for black.

I agree with you about opening books. Most of them talk about what's theoretically best for masters. There are plenty of lines that get a lot more action at the amateur level that aren't as theoretically good, but the books never talk about WHY those lines aren't as good. They just get ignored, because no master would ever play them.

Game 78 in Starting Out The French by Byron Jacobs addresses Neg5 in the Fort Knox.  Unfortunately that book is a bad one.