Is there any .pgn file available for this video?

Thanks Thomas ! Very instructive.

Love the video, thanks!   I'm going to be playing the french in an upcoming tournament.

Hello everybody!I'm and fierce french lover and i thought i'd share a game of mine with u all:P Hope you'll enjoy it:P!

In the sideline with the B sac on h7, the bB could retreat to e7 after the preparation with Nb3. Then the B sac loses because the bB will capture the N on g5. So the uncommented B retreat to a5 is the much bigger mistake in this line than the dubious 0-0.

Very interesting, I'm a French def player myself, so I kind of heard that Tarrasch is met by waiting moves, but didn't see what is the benefit, now I'm getting closer to it. Aggressive g5 is appealing to me too =)

Great detail  and I appreciated a presentation free from condescension

Dear Thomas Rendle!

Thank you for this very interesting repertoire suggestion. 

There are 2 questions left for me:

1) After 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 a6 4.e5 c5 5.c3 Qb6 6.Ndf3 Bd7 7.Bd3 Bb5 8.Bc2 your suggestion 8...Nc6 unfortunately seems to lose to 9.a4 winning the bishop on b5 (sorry - I just saw, that this is already solved! )

2) There is a straight forward side line - not mentioned: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 a6 4.Ngf3 Nf6 5.e5 Nd7 6.c4!? - when Black probably has to take on c4: 6...dc4 7.Bc4 (7.Nc4!? was played in some corr. games) Nb6 8.Bb3 Bd7 with the idea to put the bishop on d5, the knigth on b8 to c6, the queen to d7 and castle queenside

all the best!

Thanks,but isn't a6 waist of temp?

A question I have is that at the point when Mark Ferguson played ed5 why not dc5. If the de4 Ne4 Be4 Qd1 we are back in the endgame variation and Bc5 Qe2 seems a little uncomfortable. At least to me who at the moment is only a blitz French dabbler. That might change.

great one...but Nd2 is played rarely...many prefr Nc3

Nice vid Thomas. Sound explanations and delivery. Not too hurried. I always prefer to hear about things that the player actually plays and believes in.

Its my first video that I have watched, and I found it very interesting. I don't use this variation, but very useful information to maybe using it someday. I look forward to our game against you. I feel very privaledged to be playing you..

Thankyou :)

Welcome & thanks so much for your instruction. I am currently trying to come up to speed with the French, so this is very timly for me. I look forward to many more.

Thanks for the Video! 

Thanks for all the welcoming comments!

BrendanT is right, Nc6 is a mistake for Black. Instead of ..Nc6 Black has some interesting options: the simplest is to play a5 first, clearing the a6 square for the Bishop and also gaining space on the Queenside.

Also cxd4 is perfectly sensible, with the idea of after White recaptures with cxd4 then Nh6!? Black shouldn't be afraid of Bxh6 as the two Bishops and the half open g-file is more than enough compensation for the doubled pawns. An immediate Nh6 (before cxd4) is also playable.

TheJoefish - No. At 9:20 the knight is not on e2, a4 wins, check Fritz if you can't see it yourself.

Great video!  Welcome to Chess.com.

Good lecture, excellent material; quite advanced, but basics explained on the way. Looking forward to more lectures by Tom on the French, in which he is an expert.

@ Joethefish. WHite doesn't have to play ne2. he can play a4 right away