The attached win is somewhat streaky.

Got it in the game ref: YB 87

@linksspringer

Thanks for the game reference. In fact I had analysed 10...Bd7 as well, finding an advantage for White, but once again I have forgotten what I recommended for White. The only idea that rings a bell is 11.c3, when 11...a6 12.Na3 Be7 13.Nc2 transposes to 10...0-0. If Black avoided 12...Be7, I think I recommended a quick Ne5 to blunten the d6-bishop, but I'm not sure.

In any case, I have to check these lines again to recall my analyses.

After my previous post, I researched this line and found two games played since the publication of 'Play 1...Nc6', and in both cases Black was an IM. In one of these games (2007), Black lost to a player rated 200 points below him - not a good advertisement for the line, although to judge 6...f5 on one game would be unfair. In J.Peters-Taylor, 2008, Black did not have any real problems in the opening.

Even so, I stand by my opinion that I don't really trust 6...f5 as being equal in strength to 6...Bb4. I think that the e5-square and backward e6-pawn combined with Black's difficulty in playing a rapid ...c5 or ...e5 secure White a slight advantage. That is the primary reason why I intuitively discarded it as being slightly inferior to 6...Bb4.

I took your advice and analysed this line, finding a novelty that (according to my analysis) offers White a slight and stable advantage, where it is not easy for Black to create serious counterplay. Unfortunately, my laptop crashed when I tried to save my analysis, but I can still remember the main lines of my analysis, which is presented below:

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.e5 Ne4 6.Bd3 f5 7.ef6 Nf6 8.0-0 Bd6 (8...a6 is an untried option to prevent Bb5 and Nb5, but then 9.Bf4 Bd6 10.Bg3 is slightly better for White.) and now I propose the following novelty: 9.Nb5(!). White has two ideas - to either exchange Black's dark-squared bishop to secure the bishop pair, or to bolster the centre with c3; more often than not White adopts the former choice. If Black moves his d6-bishop to e7, then White can pressure the c7-pawn with Bf4, exploiting the fact that the c-pawn is blocked.

Now the main move in my analysis was 9...0-0. My alternative line was 9...Nb4, but I have forgotten which line gives White the edge. It may have been 10.Be2 0-0 11.Re1 or 10.Re1, but I honestly cannot remember which.

After 9...0-0, I recommend 10.Re1, bolstering the e5-square and pressuring the backward e-pawn. 10...Be7 (10...Nb4 to prepare ...c5 looks natural, but after 11.Bf1 c5 12.c3 Nc6 13.Nd6 Qd6 14.dc5 Qc5 15.Bf4 White has a promising advantage.)

At first, I looked at 11.Bf4, but I came to the conclusion that White does better to play 11.c3 a6 12.Na3, as now White's f3-knight is no longer tied to the defence of d4. Now the best move seems to be 12...Bd6 (12...h6 13.Nc2 Qe8 14.h3 looked a bit passive for Black; 12...Bd7 13.Nc2 Qe8 14.Qe2 favours White) 13.Nc2 Qe8 14.Qe2 (14.Bd2 Qh5 15.b3 Bd7 16.c4 also seems slightly better for White. But not 16.Qe2 e5!).

Returning to 14.Qe2: 14...Qh5 15.h3 Bd7, and now White has two main choices, 16.b3 or 16.Ne5. I couldn't remember why I discarded 16.b3, but I do recall that 16.Ne5 Qe2 17.Re2 was slightly better for White, and also not easy for Black to create strong counterplay.

For example, trying to liquidate the e5-outpost with 17...Be5 18.de5 Nh5 19.g3 simply leaves the h5-knight misplaced. Of course Black doesn't have to take on e5, but then White retains full control of e5, and it is quite difficult for Black to create serious counterplay.

Wisnewski offers several highly interesting ideas in his ...Nc6 repertoire book, but if my analysis is correct, then this is not one of the most promising ideas.

I would like to conclude on a positive note that I am pleased with my purchase of his book. It taught me to play murky, unorthodox positions and it encouraged me to try new openings - something that has benefited me. The analytical imperfections (which are unavoidable in such a complex opening) are more than made up for by the original, creative ideas.

I own all of the aforementioned books, and have complied a game showing the differences between each source in regards to the moves covered in the critical 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.e5 Ne4 6.Bd3 Bb4 7.Bd2 variation (I have also considered Black's 6th move alternatives)

As a summary of my attached file:

Wisnewski's book does not cover the main move 6...Bb4 as his recommendation is 6...f5. However, I was unable to find any games played with 6...f5 since the publication of 'Play 1...Nc6', so I suspect that an improvement has been found over his analysis. Therefore, my conclusion is that at this stage Wisnewski's book is the least useful in its coverage of my designated 'main line'.

SOS 3 has some interesting ideas, but the coverage is now almost 4 years ago and a bit out of date with recent developments.

Watson's 'Dangerous Weapons: The French' is very good, covering an array of variations for both sides and consisting of a large amount of depth in the theory. In fact, it even covers a few variations that are not mentioned in the more recent Timoshenko survey.

Of all the sources, probably the best is the Yearbook survey, as it is both the most detailed and the most recent. In many instances it covers options played after the publication of Dangerous Weapons, and extends the analysis presented by Watson. However, the Yearbook cannot be used as a singular source for playing the variation as Black, whereas Watson's book does fulfill this purpose.

Therefore, my recommendation is that Dangerous Weapons is the only book you will need to play this variation as Black, but if you intend to play it at major tournaments, then it will be necessary to have access to the Yearbook survey as well. Personally I don't think the coverage of the H-R in SOS 3 and Play 3...Nc6 is particularly good, although to be fair other sections of these books are of a high quality.

Another source is Secret Opening Surprises 3 - pages 104-109

If I may, I humbly refer to my book "Play 1...Nc6!", which contains a whole chapter on the Hecht-Reefschläger...