French defence

I just recently opened ECO to see all variations so I can get some new ideas.

My mouth are still opened.

In ECO range of French defense goes from C00 - C19

After French we can talk about

French: 

·       Bird

·       Reti (Spielmann)

·       La Bourdonnais

·       Steinitz

·       Steiner (Anglo - French)

·       Orthoschnapp gambit

·       2.Nc3

·       2.Nf3

·       Pelikan

·       Chigorin

·       Wing gambit

·       2 Knights variation

·       KIA

·       2.d4

·       St. George

·       Franco-Benoni

·       2.d4 d5

·       Alapin - Diemer gambit

·       Schlechter

·       Exchange

·       Advance

·       Tarrasch

·       Marshall

·       Rubinstein

·       Henneberger

·       Steinitz

·       Burn

·       MacCutcheon

·       Classical

·       Chatard-Alekhine

·       and most popular Winawer.

Now this is not by ECO, from 1. Bird to 19. Schlechter all openings are under C00. Now, all this variations have sub-variations, that combined give amazing number of 500!! possible variations. Now I know that 2.d4 or 2.d4 d5 are almost the same, and that some named variations only have 1 or 2 moves. Also there are 10 variations of Tarrasch closed system who are only different in 7th move. And I believe that that 7th move can make world of difference in how game will continue.

We know that probably, 50-70% of this list of named openings can transpose to each other. We know that main idea of French is to break center with c5 and f6, and that black goes for queenside attack while white is trying to use space on kingside for mating attack. But I don't believe that knowing only that basics is enough at master level.

Only Winawer

has more than 50 listed variations after move 4.

I read once that Nigel Short is expert in French defense.

How great knowledge of what variation can be transposed, how it can be transposed, in what other can be transposed, and why are you transposing it, and what do you want to achieve with transposing, and most important, after all that, knowing when you are going to play out of book move, where does that lead you, and in what direction should you attack, does one have to possess, so you can call him an EXPERT in french defense?

Or to call someone an expert in any other opening.

I like playing against it. Playing white against French is much easier and safer than playing French as black.

I've just added French Defense into my repertoire. Speaking of which, I would like to ask you guys on this position.

Normally Black goes 5 ... Qb6 before 5 ... Nh6, so if 5 ... Qb6  6 Be2 Nh6 7 Bxh6 then 7 ... Qxb2. Nh6 is ok in that position but an early Nh6 like you suggest looks like a weakening of f6/h6 without compensation.

I can recommend Uhlmann's book Winning with the French.

Hey, BK, could you give any kind of answer to my question?

Which was?

master = know most popular 15 - 20 variations and 5-6 side lines + know what strategy to follow in which variation and when to transform advantages

this is what i think a master should (at least) know

How great knowledge of what variation can be transposed, how it can be transposed, in what other can be transposed, and why are you transposing it, and what do you want to achieve with transposing, and most important, after all that, knowing when you are going to play out of book move, where does that lead you, and in what direction should you attack, does one have to possess, so you can call him an EXPERT in french defense or any other opening?

I think I half cleared that question by showing Uhlmann (It's an exceptional book!), who to my knowledge used to be the aficionado of The French. The rest of that answer is work, work and work, eventually you know as much as any GM. They are of course extremely talented but without making it a profession, they wouldn't be GM's.

Here are some pages about the game Fischer-Uhlmann, Buenos Aires, 1960:

as black im starting to like 1. e4 ...e6 2. d4 ...d6    i dunno what it's called and haven't found any info on this opening

It's not French ;)