French Defense top five GM games

According to the book World's Greatest Chess Games, these are the five greatest ever games featuring the French Defense:

Classical Steinitz Variation

https://www.chess.com/openings/French-Defense-Classical-Steinitz-Variation...5.f4-c5-6.dxc5-Nc6-7.a3

Pillsbury: 23 Best moves, 1 Brilliant, 1 inaccuracy, 0 mistakes
Lasker: 24 Best moves, 2 mistakes

"Pillsbury creates one of the classic examples of the sacrificial breakthrough, whereby a seemingly impregnable position is ripped apart by a series of sacrifices."

Winawer Variation

https://www.chess.com/openings/French-Defense-Winawer-Advance-Retreat-Variation-Armenian-Line-7.Qg4-Ne7-8.bxa5

Fischer: 9 Best moves, 1 Brilliant, 0 mistakes
Tal: 11 Best moves, 0 mistakes

"Tal springs a surprise on Fischer by playing an unusual line of the French Defense. There arises a complicated position, which becomes a remarkable tactical shoot-out"

Fischer: 29 Best moves, 1 mistake, 1 blunder

Larsen: 25 Best moves, 2 inaccuracies, 1 mistake, 1 blunder

Tarrasch, Closed Variation

"Despite the peculiar meandering of the white king in this game...Reshevsky is merely following the theory at the time! This however proves to be an unfortunate idea against an inpired Vaganian. After 16 moves the Armenian has already sacrificed two pieces, but the white king has arrived on the half-way line. Five moves later Black has recouped his material with interest"

Burn Variation

"Berkes adopted a solid but slightly passive opening, which allowed White to establish a lead in development. Polgar needed no further encouragement to launch an attack against Black's king, posing immediate problems for Black. Berkes went wrong by setting a trap into which Polgar appeared to fall, only for it to be revealed that the trapper was himself trapped."

Nice games and post!

anyone know why lasker plays 6. Nc6 instead of 6. Nxc5 right away? just curious thanks!

Good question. The pawn on c5 is isolated and can be captured on the following move, unless White plays b5, which would be a mistake because it would allow Nxb5

Nc6 develops a piece to a good square and is the best move.

Those "top 5" are subject to one Author's opinion.  Does not automatically make them the best.

I can also think of many Uhlmann candidates, especially Fischer-Uhlmann, Buenos Aires 1960.

They are the opinions of FM Graham Burgess, GM John Nunn and GM John Emms

5 is probably too short of a list for an opening that has been played since the days of Lasker. I also find it rather strange that there arent any well played endgames featured on the list. There must have been some nice endgames in the french over the years.