Exactly. What I like about this set of lines, particularly for developing players, is they get to play both plans with ...Nf5 targeting d4, and plans with ...f6 targeting e5, depending on White's 6th move. So whatever lines they end up with later some of the ideas will be familiar.

I also believe 6.Be2 Nh6 and 6.g3 c4 7.<any> f6 are two of the French Advance lines where it's easiest for White to end up seriously worse in the opening, a not insignificant point on lower levels.

Apart from Uhlmann's own games from "Französisch ... richtig gespielt" (English title: Winning with the French, though the German edition is newer with a few more games) I also use some games by slightly younger players, like the following:

[Event "129th ch-New York State"]
[Site "New York USA"]
[Date "2007.09.03"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Benjamin, Joe"]
[Black "Nakamura, H."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C02"]
[WhiteElo "2576"]
[BlackElo "2647"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Be2 Nh6 7. Bd3 Bd7 8. Bc2 Rc8 9. O-O cxd4 10. cxd4 Nb4 11. Ba4 Bxa4 12. Qxa4+ Qc6 13. Qxc6+ Rxc6 14. Nc3 Nf5 15. Rd1 Nc2 16. Rb1 Rc4 17. Ne2 h5 18. b3 Rc6 19. Bb2 Be7 20. Rbc1 g5 21. Bc3 g4 22. Ne1 Rxc3 23. Nxc2 Rc6 24. Ne3 Nh4 25. Rxc6 bxc6 26. Nf4 Kd7 27. Nd3 f6 28. Nc2 Ng6 29. exf6 Bxf6 30. Rc1 Kd6 31. g3 Ne7 32. Nc5 Nf5 33. Nb7+ Ke7 34. Nb4 Bxd4 35. Nxc6+ Kf6 36. b4 h4 37. Nc5 Rh7 38. Kg2 e5 39. Nd3 Rd7 40. b5 h3+ 41. Kf1 e4 42. Ndb4 Be5 43. Rc5 Ke6 44. a4 Bg7 45. Nb8 Rf7 46. N8c6 Rf8 47. Ke1 e3 48. Nd3 Kd6 49. Rc2 Re8 50. Re2 Re4 51. Ra2 Bd4 52. Kf1 Bc3 53. fxe3 Rxe3 54. Ncb4 Nd4 55. Kf2 Re4 56. Ra3 Re2+ 57. Kf1 Bxb4 58. Nxb4 Rb2 59. Nd3 Rb1+ 60. Kf2 0-1

Benjamin's Be2-d3-c2 just to control f5 may look strange, but before I saw this game I considered it critical.

Stigma, can you briefly describe "Uhlmann's anti-Advance repertoire"? Any books that explain it?

Thanks.

Start by learning the repertoire in 'How to Play Against 1.e4'. 'The Flexible French' is a fantastic book, but should be used to add to existing repertoires rather than to create new ones. 

Personally, I don't like McDonald's recommendation of 3...Be7 against the Tarrasch, and would have recommended 3...Nc6, but objectively there's nothing wrong with either move.

jarr wrote on 11/18/10 at 12:51:57:


What's not to like? McDonald gives the Fort Knox Rubinstein AND 3...Nf6 (Steinitz and MacCutcheon)!

Moskalenko's "Flexible French" looks at many different lines, most of which he has played himself at some time or other. The idea is partly to enable the reader to "pick and mix" to suit, partly to enable him or her to present a moving target in this age of preparation.

'The Flexible French' by Victor Moskalenko has excellent coverage of 3...Nf6 in general, including an entire chapter on the McCutcheon alone.

It does actually get a bit of coverage as an alternative option in Play the French III. Slightly less comprehensive than the Bb4 stuff perhaps but its there.

Well not the McCutheon, but it does cover everything else too. Best place for the Mc may be one of the generic Nc3 French books although they're a little old now so perhaps the section here

The French is so broad in what you can play in most lines its worth having some back ups/flexibility rather than locking into a very specific repitoire.

Some books that cover 3...Nf6 include 
Psakhis' French Defense: Steinitz, Classical and Other Systems(2004), 
Psakhis' The Complete French
and Hardings' older:  The Classical French Defense(1991)