3756
3756
3756
Comes to Life
Fresh Strategies to
Play for a Win
Alex Fishbein
Foreword by John Watson
2021
Russell Enterprises, Inc.
Milford, CT USA
1
The Exchange French Comes to Life
Fresh Strategies to Play for a Win
© Copyright 2021
Alex Fishbein
Published by:
Russell Enterprises, Inc.
P.O. Box 3131
Milford, CT 06460 USA
http://www.russell-enterprises.com
info@russell-enterprises.com
Preface 7
Chapter 1
Introduction to the Exchange French 13
Chapter 2
The IQP-lite 33
Chapter 3
The Uhlmann Gambit 72
Chapter 4
Symmetrical Structures 95
Chapter 5
The 5...c5 Variation 139
Chapter 6
The 4...Bg4 Variation 149
Chapter 7
The 4...Nc6 Variation 163
Chapter 8
Rare Moves against 4.Nf3 190
Chapter 9
The Miezis Variation 199
Chapter 10
The Delayed Exchange Variation 211
The Exchange French Comes to Life
Chapter 11
Your Repertoire File 224
Bibliography 239
4
Preface
Authors of French Defense books from the black perspective have recognized
for a while that there is no draw here at all and have proposed lines where
Black can create interesting play. Indeed, both sides can create complications,
and we will show that playing “boring” moves is actually risky with both
White and Black. The Exchange French is a vibrant opening, just like any
other, and yet there has been very little literature showing how to play it from
the white side. I hope to fill that void with this book.
So, I called my friend and former coach, GM Dmitry Gurevich, and asked
him for his opinion. He said that I should write it and the book was long
overdue! Indeed, I have played this system for almost thirty years and have
a lot of material. Also, the last few years have brought some new
developments in this opening. It’s time to share these secrets!
7
The Exchange French Comes to Life
Certainly, there are ideas that occur in some openings more than others,
but the reason to learn different openings is that some ideas are ubiquitous.
I will consider my work a success if some of my readers pick up concepts
here that they can use in other openings, even if they don’t play the
Exchange French with either color.
The progression of the games within each chapter is usually from least to
most theoretically important. I often start with a “negative example,”
showing what not to do. After that I proceed to games showing the proper
8
treatment for White. Although this is a repertoire book for the white side
of the Exchange French, I hope that it can be useful to players who play
the French with Black.
As mentioned, the bulk of this book emphasizes general ideas. Many games
are also not “theoretically” important, at least from the point of view of
your repertoire. That is true in most opening books. Therefore, we highlight
the theoretically important games with a special icon “ K ”. But I like to
have the repertoire handy in one place, not just spread out throughout the
book. The format of Chapter 11 is similar to, if not the same as, a database
program. If you review it before your game, you will be ready when you
sit down to play.
A word of appreciation
I started this project before the pandemic and finished it during it. The last
seven months have not been easy here in the United States, or anywhere
in the world. I would like to thank my wife Lana for creating an
environment where I could work on this book while not neglecting my
other responsibilities. Thanks also to my son Mitch, a chess master, for
critically examining parts of the text and providing valuable theoretical
ideas.
Alex Fishbein
Summit, New Jersey
January 2021
9
The Exchange French Comes to Life
Foreword
The book before you appears at just the right time. The French Defense is
increasingly popular in master chess, at the same time as players of White
are having diminished success against it by using the traditional main lines.
As it happens, many of the world’s leading grandmasters have recently
turned to the Exchange Variation, and specifically the 4.Nf3 repertoire
advocated by Alex Fishbein in this work. Beginning in 2017 with numerous
games by World Champion Magnus Carlsen, GMs including Anand,
Vachier LaGrave, Aronian, Nepomniachtchi, Giri, Nisipeanu, Bacrot,
Xiong, Melkumyan and others have tried their hand with this approach.
Tellingly, experts on the Black side of the French such as Meier and
Vitiugov have also been impressed enough to employ it on the White side.
Happily, Alex Fishbein has now given us a book to explain what the
attractions of this variation are, as well as how to play it. Fishbein is a
longtime proponent of 4.Nf3; in Megabase, a game of his with 4.Nf3
appears in 1991, perhaps inspired by Kasparov’s first use of it in that same
year. In the book, I see references to many other games played by Alex
from 1993 through 2019. He has personally followed and helped refine the
development of this line for years, well before it became popular. This
gives him the perspective to explain why certain lines have prospered while
others have fallen out of favor.
10
differences in move order can have such large consequences. However, in
the comprehensive chapter “Your Repertoire File,” Alex lays out the exact
moves of his recommended repertoire, as well as inferior moves and
interesting alternatives, referring the reader back to the illustrative games
for the technical details. I think that most players will find this a
comfortable way to both master specific variations and put them into a
broader practical context.
While the main point of this book is to build a White repertoire, any player
of the Black side of the French will benefit by reading it. For one thing,
Fishbein takes an evolutionary approach to laying out the theory, showing
how Black has solved his problems against various secondary attempts
before arriving at the moves he actually recommends for White. Also, a
good number of the sample games end well for Black, whereas in the games
in which White gains the upper hand, Fishbein is careful to note
improvements for the second player. I have been playing and writing about
the French Defense, including this variation, for many years, but I came
across a lot that I hadn’t known in nearly every sub-variation.
I suspect that most readers of this book will be pleasantly surprised to find
out how rich the play can become in the French Exchange Variation. That
alone is enough to reward a careful reading, and Fishbein’s careful
exposition of lines and strategies will undoubtedly translate into extra
points over the board.
John Watson
San Diego
January 2021
11
Chapter 5
139
The Exchange French Comes to Life
140
The Variation..
cuuuuuuuuC
{rDw4wDkD} 20...Nxe5 21.Rxe5 Bf8 22.Bc4
Qc6 23.Qd3 Rd7 24.Bb3 b5
{DpDwDp0w} 25.Qf5! Raa7
{pDnDb1w0} cuuuuuuuuC
{DwgwDwDw} {wDwDwgkD}
{wDw0RGwD} {4wDrDpDw}
{)wDBDNDP} {pDqDwDw0}
{w)P!w)PD} {DpDw$Q0w}
{DwDw$wIw} {wDw0wDPD}
vllllllllV {)BDwDwDw}
The position has become ominous for {w)PDw)PD}
Black. Her d4-pawn is safely blockaded
and only the white pieces can create {DwDw$wIw}
threats. vllllllllV
26.Re6?
17.Ne5?!
A tempting move, but 26.Re8!, with
17.Bg3! is already winning for White, threats of R1e6 or Be6, wins very
for example: 17...Re8 18.Bh4 g5 quickly.
19.Nxg5! hxg5 20.Bxg5 Qg7 21.Rh4
with a devastating attack. 26...Rd6! 27.Re7
17...Bf5 18.Ng4! Bxg4 19.hxg4 g5 It’s better to keep material on the board
cuuuuuuuuC with 27.Re8.
{rDw4wDkD}
27...Rxe7 28.Rxe7 Rf6
{DpDwDpDw}
{pDnDw1w0} Black has managed to escape from all
{DwgwDw0w} but certain defeat.
{wDw0RGPD}
{)wDBDwDw} 29.Rxf7 Rxf5 30.Rf6+ Kg7
31.Rxc6 Rf6 32.Rc7+ Kg6
{w)P!w)PD} cuuuuuuuuC
{DwDw$wIw} {wDwDwgwD}
vllllllllV {Dw$wDwDw}
20.Be5
{pDwDw4k0}
White trades into an opposite-color {DpDwDw0w}
bishop middlegame with an attack {wDw0wDPD}
against the king, usually a prescription {)BDwDwDw}
for victory. 20.Bg3, planning f2-f4, is {w)PDw)PD}
also strong.
{DwDwDwIw}
vllllllllV
141
The Exchange French Comes to Life
In the opposite-color bishop ending We have reached the position from the
with rooks, White still has great previous game, after move 13. It’s
winning chances, but now the outcome curious that both players lost a tempo
is in doubt. to reach that position (Black with Be7-
xc5 and White with Bg5-f4). I have also
33.Bd5 Rd6 34.Be4+ Kf6 35.Kf1 seen this position occur with White to
Ke5 36.f3 Rb6 37.b4 Bd6 move, and even then, it’s not clear that
38.Rc6? White has much of an advantage. The
IQP-lite really is a powerful beast!
The pure opposite-color ending appears
to be drawn. 14...Rc8
142
The Variation..
cuuuuuuuuC
Black’s kingside attack was a mirage,
{wDrDrDkD} and his pieces are disorganized.
{DwDwDp0w}
{pDwDbDw0} 24...Rf8? 25.Ne2
{DpgpDwDw}
25.Rd4! Qh5 26.Ne4 Rg6 27.Ng3!
{wDBDwDw1} Qg5 28.h4 Qf6 29.Rf3 traps the queen.
{)wHwGwDP}
{w)P!w)PD} 25...Rg6 26.Nf4 Rf6 27.g3 Qg5
{DwDR$wIw} 28.Re5 Rf5 29.Nxe6 fxe6
vllllllllV 30.Qxe6+ Kh7 31.Rxf5 Qxf5
32.Qxf5+ Rxf5 33.c3
isolated pawn. One advantage of
playing this variation for White against White is up a pawn and converts the
5...c5 is that not everyone is naturally ending.
comfortable in IQP positions. If you
play the Exchange French for White, 33...h5 34.Rd6 a5 35.Rd4 a4 36.f4
you will have a feel for many IQP g5 37.Kg2 gxf4 38.gxf4 Kg6
subtleties. Here, after 21...Bxe3! 39.Kf3 Rc5 40.Ke4 Kf6 41.Rd6+
22.Rxe3 dxc4, Black is contesting the Ke7 42.Rd5 1-0
d-file, but in the game he cannot.
K (58) Bliumberg – Bruch
22.Bxc5 Rxc5 23.Qd6! Rg5?! Germany 1994
French Defense [C01]
23...Rcc8 simply loses a pawn to
24.Qxa6. 23...Rec8 is possible, and if 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3
24.Qxa6? Bxh3! 25.gxh3 Rg5+ 26.Kf1 Nf6
Qxh3+ 27.Ke2 Qg4+ 28.Kd2 Qf4+
29.Ke2 Qg4+ White has nothing better The move ...c5 only makes sense if the
than a draw, but White doesn’t have to white bishop is on d3 (just as we only
take the pawn, and 24.Re4 is possible played c2-c4 on the white side if Black
instead. went Bd6). Nobody has ever played
4...c5 against me here. After 5.Bb5+
24.Re3! Nc6 (5...Bd7 6.Bxd7+ Nxd7 7.Qe2+
Be7 8.0-0 Ngf6 9.Re1 is bad for Black)
cuuuuuuuuC 6.0-0 Nf6 7.Re1+ Be7 8.dxc5 0-0
{wDwDrDkD} 9.Be3 White is a pawn up.
{DwDwDp0w}
{pDw!bDw0} 5.Bd3 c5 6.0-0 (D)
{DpDwDw4w} White allows the Uhlmann Gambit
{wDpDwDw1} Declined, with reversed colors. The
{)wHw$wDP} extra tempo means that Black will have
{w)PDw)PD} to take on b3, instead of supporting his
c4 pawn. We saw in Chapter 4 that
{DwDRDwIw} when White took on b6, he was no
vllllllllV longer fighting for an advantage.
143