French Defense – Middlegame Understanding PGN Only March 9, 2026

There is an old saying among French Defense devotees: the real game begins once the theory stops. Unlike many sharp openings where preparation decides the outcome, the French rewards — and punishes — understanding. A player who has memorized 20 moves of the Advance Variation but cannot explain why White’s e5-pawn is both a strength and a vulnerability will eventually be outplayed by someone who has studied the structure itself. This is precisely the insight behind Understanding the French Defense, a new course by GM Davorin Kuljasevic published on Modern Chess.