Employing The French

In the previous article of this series we saw a very interesting miniature climaxed by an incredible white attack.  In the name of keeping the universe balanced (or at least keeping the French lovers happy!), this game will be the exact opposite.  The French defense, as black, can be an incredible tool.  As the following game will show.  Enjoy!

In this game Steinitz, who played a rather beautiful game, is simply 'outthought' by Bird.  Bird strings together such a complicated attack that Steinitz, who would have won with perfectly play, can simply not keep up and finally gives the game away.  This provides a great lesson for us: if we can't refute our sacrifice maybe our opponent can't either!