A Short Review of Moskalenko's The Even More Flexible French

Viktor Moskalenko, The Even More Flexible French: Strategic Ideas & Powerful Weapons (New in Chess, 2015). 363 pp., $29.95/€26.95. Reviewed by Dennis Monokroussos.

As the title suggests, this book is a sequel to an earlier work (2008) called The Flexible French, and it's appropriate that Viktor Moskalenko has so entitled these works. Although Francophobes may feel as if all French positions are the same, characterized by the miserable interlocking pawn chains in the center, those who play the opening or have studied it with White know that Black has a huge number of possible approaches, regardless of what White plays on move 3 (or even on move 2). Where some pro-French authors pick their repertoire choices in an attempt to keep the spread manageable and to go deep in the variations, Moskalenko doesn't get as far into the weeds but gives the French player seemingly limitless options. This makes the book nice as a source of ideas and surprise weapons, but I would recommend not using this work as your only source on the French. Pair it with John Watson's Play the French, Nikita Vitiugov's The French Defence Reloaded, or one of the recent Quality Chess books on the French and you're in business.

To give some idea of the breadth of Moskalenko's volume, he offers 3...Nf6, 3...Be7 and 3...c5 against the Tarrasch, while against 3.Nc3 he covers both 3...Nf6 and the Winawer. Within the Winawer there are still more choices: 4.e5 b6 5.Qg4 Bf8 is the first, 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Qc7 7.Qg4 f5 for the second, and 6...Qa5 (intending 7...Qa4) for the third. The absolute main lines with 6...Ne7 7.Qg4 0-0 or 7...Qc7/7...cxd4 are absent. For that matter, in the Tarrasch line 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Ngf3 cxd4 6.Bc4 Qd6 7.0-0 Nf6 8.Nb3 Nc6 9.Nbxd4 Nxd4 10.Nxd4 Moskalenko does give one game with 10...a6, but in it he shows Black getting killed. He concludes that he "cannot understand the idea behind the popular advance 10...a6?! It seems to be a significant waste of time that allows White to develop his initiative, forcing Black to revert to safer ideas, such as ...Be7, ...Bd7 etc." He is referring to 10th move options for Black, which he covers in earlier games.

You might get the impression that you won't learn the "real" French from this book, but only a series of sidelines. Aside from the arguable claim that today's main lines constitute the "real" French, I would disagree. Moskalenko may not cover all the absolute main lines, but he covers enough of them, and certainly enough general kinds of positions to benefit any French player.

As usual when looking at opening books, I compared what the author had to say with what the latest book I'd seen defending the opposite side had to say; in this case, the comparison was with Parimarjan Negi's 1.e4 vs. The French, Caro-Kann & Philidor. I limited my look to the lines beginning 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3, when the books interacted on the options 7...a6, 7...Qb6, 7...cxd4 and 7...Be7. (There's the huge spread in Moskalenko, on display once again!) In general I'd say that Negi went deeper, but Moskalenko throws out so many possibilities - even one-movers - that his book does escape Negi's clutches from time to time. It is a little disappointing that Negi's book isn't in Moskalenko's bibliography, but that's not Moskalenko's fault - the former didn't come out early enough for him to address it. Let's turn to some specifics:

A: 7...a6. After 8.Qd2 b5 9.dxc5 Bxc5 Negi recommends 10.Bd3, which isn't covered by Moskalenko. That's not really a knock on Moskalenko, as it is a rare move, but it is inconvenient for the French player looking for an answer to Negi.

B: 7...Qb6 8.Na4 Qa5+ 9.c3 cxd4 10.b4 Nxb4 11.cxb4 Bxb4+ 12.Bd2 Bxd2+ 13.Nxd2 is a line that has long been known to be very dangerous for Black, and Moskalenko admits this. He doesn't recommend the line, but he does present some analysis, following a 2007 Freestyle game (man + machine), winding up in a draw. That suggests that the line can hold, even if it requires impractically perfect play. I analyzed this line in great depth a year or so ago, however, and concluded that White is probably winning by force, and that seems to be Negi's conclusion as well. So I think that things are even worse for Black than Moskalenko suggests.

C: 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 and now a further subdivision:

C1: 8...Bc5 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.Qf2 and here there are two moves discussed by both books. One is 11...Bxd4, and if anything Moskalenko gets slightly the better of the coverage here. The other option is 11...Qe7, and here Negi's coverage is greatly superior. Moskalenko stops after 12.Bd3 f6 13.exf6 Nxf6 14.h3 Bd6 15.Kb1, evaluating White's last move as interesting, while Negi goes much further and offers some new analysis. Just giving his main line, there's 15...Bd7 16.Rhe1 b5 17.g4!N Rac8 18.f5! e5 19.Nxc6 Bxc6 20.g5 Nd7 21.f6! gxf6 22.g6 e4 23.gxh7+ Kh8 24.Be2 with a clear advantage for White.

C2: 8...Qb6. After 9.Qd2 Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qa3 11.Bb5 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 a6 13.Bxd7+ Bxd7 14.Rb3 Qe7 15.Rxb7 we have a sharp position that was especially popular in 2013 and 2014. Here the overlap spans two moves, 15...Qh4+, 15...Qd8, and they can transpose into each other. Negi's coverage is superior here, but Moskalenko gets a leg up by his analysis of 15...Rc8, a move not noted by Negi.

D: 7...Be7. Moskalenko throws out a short suggestion or two that isn't covered by Negi, but in areas of substantial overlap it is Negi's investigation that is more thorough. I'll skip the details this time, so you'll have to scare up the books for yourself.

Now, the Negi book is really, really good and very detailed, so the fact that it often seems to get the better of the argument (and probably does get the better of the argument in most cases) doesn't mean that Moskalenko's book is substandard. Not at all. But I do think it is most useful in an auxiliary role, for instruction, inspiration, advice and variety while using another, more conventional book as the basis for one's repertoire.

In addition to the bare moves, Moskalenko offers lots of very accessible textual help. He writes with great enthusiasm and knowledge about his beloved opening, highlights key tips, themes and tricks, and even offers some useful statistics about results and players ("heroes") to further benefit the reader. It is a very enjoyable and useful book, and is warmly recommended to lovers of the French Defense from, I'd say, approximately 1700-1800 on up.

A Review of Nikita Vitiugov's The French Defense Reloaded

Nikita Vitiugov, The French Defence Reloaded: A Complete Black Repertoire (Chess Stars, 2012). 360 pp. No price given. Reviewed by Dennis Monokroussos.

The book is a considerably lengthened update of Nikita Vitiugov's 2010 work on the French, which I also reviewed on this blog. (See part one and part two.) Both the march of time (and theory) along with various critiques have brought about a second edition that's more than 130 pages longer than the original. It's appropriate therefore to start by summarizing the repertoire options on offer, noting especially what's new in this edition. After that, I'll turn to evaluation.

The first two parts of the book deal with minor lines: part 2 addresses Chigorin's 2.Qe2 and the King's Indian Attack, while part 1 covers the Exchange Variation, Wing Gambit, 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 and other rare options. (These were combined as one part in the first edition.)

Part 3 covers the Advance Variation, which he proposes to meet with 3...c5 4.c3 Qb6 5.Nf3 Nc6.

Part 4 offers the super-solid Rubinstein Variation: 3.Nd2 (or 3.Nc3) dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7.

Parts 5 and 6 offer two alternative ways of meeting the Tarrasch (3.Nd2): Morozevich's 3...Be7 (Part 5) and Korchnoi's old favorite 3...c5 (followed by recapturing on d5 with the queen).

So far, everything recapitulates repertoire choices offered the first time around. In part 7 Vitiugov presents Winawer's 3...Bb4 against 3.Nc3, and while he continues to propose 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 for his readers' approval, in the new edition he also proposes 6...Nc6 as a second option.

Part 8 is a big addition. In 2010 Vitiugov proposed that readers meet 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 with 4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 Nbd7, transposing to what he labeled a favorable version of the Rubinstein. He stands by that assessment and recommendation here as well, but this time has a chapter on the sharper and feistier MacCutcheon Variation with 4...Bb4. I think this is a good and important addition, as in all other cases Vitiugov offers Black choices for sharp play, so why should this one move order be an exception?

Finally, part 9 (and the last part of the first edition) covers the Steinitz Variation 3.Nc3 Nf6. There's a major addition this time around, as after 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 he presents 7...cxd4 in great detail. (As in the first edition, 7...Qb6 and 7...a6 are still covered, while 7...Be7 still isn't - or is covered even less! More on part 9, below.)

All the revised chapters are longer this time - some considerably longer.

There are some oddities about part 9 that merit discussion. First, there's the non-inclusion of 7...Be7 (after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3). He mentions it in the first edition, noting Carlsen's success against Karjakin from Wijk aan Zee 2010 and giving the game (without comment) through move 25. In the early edition he wrote that "7...Be7 has become very popular lately. Even Magnus Carlsen played this seemingly harmless move in this position. I will not go deeply into the intricacies of this situation, but it seems to me that after 7...a6, Black has more advantageous possibilities" (p. 217). Okay, fair enough. So what does he say in 2012?

"Attentive readers might have noticed that recently the author of this book has been regularly playing 7...Be7. I should like to leave extensive analysis of this variation for a future book of mine..." (p. 314). Good for me, but not for thee? Do as I say, not as I do? He has indeed been playing it regularly - six times in my database, since mid-2010, though without fantastic results: four draws and two losses (to Morozevich and Nakamura). Ironically, the one time he reached the position with White after 7.Be3, Potkin played 7...a6 and beat him last September in the World Cup. The game continued 8.Qd2 b5 9.a3 Qa5, which Vitiugov doesn't mention in the new work, offering 9...Qb6 as his main line and noting 9...g5!? and 9...Bb7 10.Bd3 g5!? as sharp alternatives.

Another oddity in part 9 is his reiterated advocacy of 7...Qb6. Vitiugov says in both editions that the reader "should make this move part of [his] opening armoury", but it's extremely difficult to see why. His main line is the old piece sac 8.Na4 Qa5+ 9.c3 cxd4 10.b4 Nxb4 11.cxb4 Bxb4+ 12.Bd2 Bxd2+ 13.Nxd2 which has long had a poor reputation for Black, and practically all of his analysis confirms it and then some. The main line of his analysis covers the game S. Zhigalko - Podolchenko, Minsk 2011 through move 28, when White was clearly better and went on to win. Before that he notes a White alternative on move 21 which also favored the first player (that was his mainline in the 2010 edition), a Black alternative on move 17 that saw Black eventually draw though "he was on the verge of losing throughout", and another Black alternative on move 15 ending with Black in "big trouble".

So this is what he recommends the readers? Well, if we go back to move 13, there may be some good news, but it's exceedingly hard to tell. Instead of the main move 13...b6 (which clearly should have been dispensed with) he gives two other moves: 13...g5 and 13...0-0!? The first suggestion is again a waste of time and space: 13...g5 appears to be bad. But it's a bit trickier figuring out 13...0-0. (Oddly, this is labeled "[a]nother possible try for White".) The main thrust of his analysis continues 14.Bd3 b5 15.Nb2 b5 16.0-0 Nc4 and now he starts with a close look at 17.Bxh7+.

After 17...Kxh7 18.Qh5+ Kg8 19.Nf3 he gives two lines: 19...g6 20.Qh6 Qc7, when "Black's position is so dubious that I am not sure that he can hold it, so this line cannot be recommended." Despite this, the game Quesada Perez - Cordova, Havana 2009 wound up drawn by perpetual, and Vitiugov doesn't censure any of White's moves. (He does gives 21.Nd3 as interesting, as opposed to the game move 21.Nh4, but that's it.)

The second line starts 19...f6 20.Nxc4, and now he has three things to say: first, that 20...bxc4 is dubious, and at the end of the variation he thinks Black's king is in trouble. Second, he says that after 20...dxc4("!") 21.exf6 Qc7 22.fxg7 Qxg7 23.Qb5 "White's slight initiative proves to be temporary." But then, third, he writes that White can avoid this line by exchanging on c4 on move 17, "when capturing with the d-pawn would not be so good for Black."

The next paragraph examines that very possibility, though seemingly without any awareness of the foregoing comments. Vitiugov writes this: "Recently the theoretical debates in this position has been focused on the move 17.Nbxc4," and then he only considers 17...dxc4 - the move he just said "would not be so good for Black" in the previous paragraph. The move isn't punctuated at all. After this, he gives 18.Bxh7+ Kxh7 19.Qh5+ Kg8 20.Nf3 g6 and so on. (Incidentally, the treatment of this line is confusing as well. The main line winds up with Black being okay, but on move 22 he gives a parenthetical suggestion for White that winds up giving him the advantage.) But why 20...g6, when 20...f6 transposes to the previous paragraph? And if it does, then what did White do wrong, since he claimed that White could avoid this by capturing on move 17?

So maybe there's good news there, maybe not. Who knows? But if we go back even further, to move 9, then at last there is something to make Black happy. Vitiugov offers analysis of both 9...c4 and 9...b6 that results in a good position for the black pieces - at least as far as his analysis goes. But couldn't he have just cut out the next three pages on 9...cxd4?

My overall impression of Chess Stars books over the years has been extremely favorable, as regular readers can confirm, but I have on occasion critiqued some (not all) of their authors' failure to interact with English-language sources. To be fair, there may be difficulties for some of the authors to procure the relevant literature, and perhaps some of them are unable to read English. (This work, for instance, was translated into English by Evgeny Ermenkov.) But one curiosity this time around is that Vitiugov doesn't interact with his Chess Stars colleague Denis Yevseev's book Fighting the French: A New Concept. The book came out in time for Vitiugov to work with it, and even if it hadn't the publisher could have given him a manuscript copy to work with.

So: if Yevseev's IQP (isolated queen pawn) approach is torturing you, you'll find a little help, though you'll have to go looking for it. won't find much help here. For instance, after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Be7 4.Ngf3 Nf6 Vitiugov barely mentions 5.Bd3, and after 5...c5 doesn't so much as mention 6.c3, while Yevseev has an entire chapter of his book dedicated to the variation. That sounds bad, but in Vitiugov's next chapter he looks at 4.Bd3, and after 4...c5 mentions 5.c3, adding that the continuation 5...cxd4 6.cxd4 dxe4 7.Nxe4 Nf6 8.Nf3 Nc6 transposes to material examined in the section on 3.Nd2 c5.

Once we're there, however, it turns out that the transposition doesn't exist. (Or if it does, I can't find it.) The only chapter that seems to get into the neighborhood is chapter 23, where we find the following: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.c3 cxd4 5.cxd4 dxe4 6.Nxe4 Nf6 and now there's a parting of the ways between 7.Nc3 and 7.Bd3. The problem is that while Vitiugov's analyses may be superb, in neither case does Black end up playing ...Nc6. Thus after 7.Nc3 he proposes 7...Be7 8.Nf3 0-0 9.Bd3 a6 10.0-0 b5, while after 7.Bd3 he suggests 7...Bd7 8.Nc3 Bc6 9.Nf3 Nbd7 10.0-0 Be7 "with an excellent version for Black of an isolated queen's pawn position" (175). He does mention 8...Nc6 in the second line, but notes that it would be less consistent (given that Black just played ...Bd7), citing Plaskett - Martinez Martin, Roquetas de Mar 2010, which continued 9.Nf3 Bd6 10.0-0 0-0 11.Re1 Nb4 12.Bb1 Qc7 13.Bg5 Nfd5 14.a3 Nxc3 15.bxc3 Nd5 16.Qd3, with the initiative.

In case you're curious as to whether Vitiugov has you covered via the 3...c5 move order, Yevseev doesn't offer any clear route to an advantage against it, but merely offers some possibilities - 11.Re1 0-0 12.Bc2 Rc8 (far worse is 12...Bb4?! 13.Qd3 Bxf3?! 14.Qxf3 Bxc3 15.bxc3 Qc8?! 16.Bg5+/- from Hamilton - Clark, Telford 2004) 13.Qd3 g6 14.Bh6 Re8 15.Rad1 Nh5 16.Bb3 "with a complicated fight, quite typical for this pawn-structure" [sic] or 11.Qe2!? Nd5 12.Bd2 0-0 13.Rad1, "with a rather complicated situation" which he goes on to analyze further in the complete game Arizmendi - Taboas, Madrid 2000.

Let me conclude with some praise. In part two of my review of the 2010 edition, point (2) in the ChessPub section noted an important hole in his analysis. That hole has been repaired: now he only gives 18...Ne3, and the suggested improvement 22...Qxh2 is given as well (but uncredited).

More pervasively, a quick scan through the main new material (7...Nc6 in the Winawer, the MacCutcheon section and 7...cxd4 in the Steinitz) reveals a higher proportion of hands-on analysis than I recall in the first edition. It struck me back then that when he dug in for himself, his judgments were pretty reliable, while sections that had more of a "database dump" feel were far less trustworthy. If that pattern holds this time around, then the new material should be excellent, as one would expect from an author with a rating over 2700. Even in the new material, though, the organization is still a bit iffy, and I think Vitiugov would benefit from a more experienced co-author or a heavier editorial hand.

In sum, it's still bound to be a book that any serious French player will want to have, but I would verify everything carefully before risking my rating on his suggestions - especially sections overlapping with opposing authors' works.

A Quick Review of Denis Yevseev's _Fighting the French_

Denis Yevseev, Fighting the French: A New Concept (Chess Stars 2011). 384 pp. Reviewed by Dennis Monokroussos.

A new concept, really? The idea promoted by GM Denis Yevseev isn't his invention and goes back at least a couple of decades, so it isn't brand new. I'll bet, though, that it'll be new to most of your opponents. It was new to me, and in the experimenting I've done with it the last couple of weeks it seems new to my opponents as well, even ones with titles attached to their names (and internet aliases).

What is it? It's the so-called “universal system”: the Tarrasch with Ngf3, Bd3, c3 and 0-0 against most (but not all) Black setups. By itself, that isn't new – Korchnoi's gambit of the pawn on d4 goes back many decades. The new idea is not the pawn sac, but to preserve an isolated pawn on d4. In so doing, the game often transposes to positions from other openings where the IQP (isolated d [“queen's”] pawn) is standard: the Panov-Botvinnik System against the Caro-Kann, the Rubinstein Variation of the Nimzo-Indian, the Queen's Gambit Accepted and the 2.c3 Sicilian. The irony is that the new concept isn't new per se, but is new to the French, and that's almost as good. For those of us who aren't professionals, our opponents are unlikely to have much experience playing a position that doesn't normally come from the French but the Caro-Kann or Sicilian, so as long as we can develop a good feel for playing with the IQP, it's a good choice.

Now for details. The book comprises three parts, the first two of which are relatively conventional. Part 1 (chapters 1-3) covers Rubinstein's 3...dxe4, while part 2 (chapters 4-9) is a hodgepodge of Tarrasch sidelines and normal lines where White should avoid the IQP approach. Finally, part 3 (comprising the oddly-numbered chapters “i1” through “i7”) treats different versions of the IQP arising from the 3...Nf6, 3...c5 and 3...a6 lines. (Also through 3...Be7 lines, though that move order isn't given in the table of contents.)

As is often the case for Chess Stars opening books, the chapters are often divided into three sections: “Quick Repertoire”, “Step by Step” and “Complete Games”. The first section generally gives the main line and highlights relevant themes, while the second provides all the little variational details along the way. The last, “Complete Games”, is of course just what it sounds like. All the chapters in the first two sections follow this template, while the IQP chapters of part 3 dispense with the “Quick Repertoire”.

Some specifics: as mentioned earlier, the same lines sometimes lead to an IQP treatment and sometimes not. For instance, after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Be7 4.Ngf3 Nf6 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.0-0 Black has a choice. He can swap the center pawns with 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 dxe4 9.Nxe4 0-0 or 9...Nxe4 10.Bxe4 0-0, with a position covered in part 3. but he can also choose to wait with 7...0-0. Here White doesn't have any fantastic waiting or building move, so he should push with 8.e5. Further, Black's last move is a little committal, taking away ...g5 options, so White's timing has positive value as well. The details are different, but after 3...Nf6 4.Bd3 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Ngf3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Qb6 8.0-0 Be7 White once again can't afford to wait around waiting for some sort of isolated d-pawn position, and should force the play with 9.e5 Nd7 10.Nb3.

There are plenty of positions where the IQP does arise, however, and if you look up the Plaskett-Short game I covered last week (or better yet, watch the video), you'll see what it looks like and how it can work. It's not a refutation of the French, and I'm sure that Black can equalize in some of the lines (indeed, Yevseev himself doesn't claim that White obtains an edge in every variation). But for its freshness, and because it avoids the kinds of typical French pawn structures its advocates know and love and many white players hate, it may be worth your while to have a look. Recommended.

Ordering info and a pdf sample (conveniently including the aforementioned Plaskett-Short game) are available here.

This Week's ChessVideos Show: The IQP Against the French

There's a new book by GM Denis [sic] Yevseev called Fighting the French: A New Concept (Chess Stars 2011) I intend to (mini-) review. Think of this week's ChessVideos show as a small preview, as the "new concept" is displayed. Yevseev advocates a plan for White where he, rather unusually against the French, accepts an isolated d-pawn in return for attacking chances against the black king.

It's not a well-known idea, but it isn't quite new, either. British GM James Plaskett was playing it over a decade ago (Yevseev doesn't try to hide this - several of Plaskett's efforts are presented), and one of those games is the subject of this week's show. In 2000, he took one of the biggest scalps of his career - if not the biggest - when he defeated Nigel Short. It's an impressive game with a very nice tactical finish, and I also use the game to give a general overview of the IQP approach's theory.

So it's worth seeing for the game, and even more worth seeing if you're fishing around for a new anti-French weapon! As always, the show is free (free registration required) and will be available on-demand for the next month or so.

A Bust of the French Defense

Dear chess fans!

Are you tired of the French Defense and its annoying, blocked-up positions? Do you wish the people who invented the French pawn chain were themselves chained up? Well, have I got the solution for you! Here at Monokroussos Labs, Inc., our leading research scientist* came up with the answer this morning in the shower and several seconds of intense thought**.

Ready?

It's 1.e4 e6 2.Be2!!, and after 2...d5 3.exd5! exd5 4.Bf3!

Now, I must distinguish this from two lines which might look similar but are in fact incredibly different. There's 1.e4 e6 2.g3 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bg2, but this isn't as good. The move g3 is weakening, and now after 4...Nf6 5.Ne2 (if 5.Nf3, what is the bishop doing on g2?) Black has 5...Bg4! The Monokroussos Variation is aimed to prevent this!

Second, 1.e4 e6 2.d4? d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Be2 is not the same either, because Black can profitably develop his light-squared bishop to f5 and fight for the e4 square. In the Monokroussos Variation, White still has the option of d3!

Indeed, our new variation has two principal points. The first is to avoid the gruesome French pawn chain, which has probably caused mass suicides and unprecedented levels of depression worldwide. Second, the aim is to avoid this chain while simultaneously keeping Black's bad bishop bad. Thus we keep g4 under control and make f5 (and a6 and b7) worthless. Having achieved these aims, the game will win itself.

Here's a sample variation illustrating the nightmares facing Black:

1.e4 e6 2.Be2!! d5 3.exd5! exd5 4.Bf3! Nf6 5.b3!

White will play Ne2 in due course, but here it would allow ...Bg4. We may play h3 at some point to prevent it, but we'll get Black to waste a tempo with the Bc8 first if we can. Note too that not playing d4 lets White avoid the traditional bad Bc1 in the Exchange French - and indeed, many variations of the French.

5...Bd6 6.Bb2 Qe7+

Aiming to force Ne2. Be careful what you wish for, French fiends...

7.Ne2! Bg4 8.Bxf6!! Qxf6 9.Bxg4! Qxa1 10.Nec3

The cage is shut! 10.Bc8 is good, too.

10...d4 11.Qe2+ Kd8 12.0-0! dxc3 13.Nxc3 Qb2 14.Qb5 b6 15.Qd5 Qxc2 16.Qxa8

16.Bf5 first might be even better.

16...c6 17.Qb7 Rf8

If 17...Re8, then 18.Qc8+ Ke7 19.Re1+ wins. Or if 17...f5, then 18.Qxg7 Re8 19.Qf6+ and 20.Qxf5, with two free extra pawns.

18.Qc8+ Ke7 19.Nd5+! and here Black resigns, as he loses the queen (19...cxd5 20.Qxc2). (This exquisite masterpiece can be replayed here.)

As it turns out, 2.Be2 actually exists in the databases, though my interpretation of it seems to be unique. Neverthless, the mere fact of its existence demonstrates that all the existing monographs on the French are utterly worthless, and their authors should hang their heads in shame. They should return their royalty checks (or better, forward the proceeds to me) and start from scratch, being sure to cover this new, brilliant line in tremendous detail. (While they're at it, the Bücker/Monokroussos Variation 1.e4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.Qb3 should finally get mentioned by a French Defense author, too.)

* That would be me. After all, I'm its only research scientist.

** It wasn't that intense.