The French defence is a chess opening that features heavily in the games of fighting players such as Victor Korchnoi, Jan Timman and Nigel Short. This book covers all the most important variations, highlighting the key developments over the last few years through more than 100 annotated games. The French defence is one of the most fashionable openings of the 1990s and this book provides a guide for anyone interested in playing a more fighting game of chess. Nigel Short is a current World Championship quarter-finalist.