Chess openings / French Defense
French Defense: McCutcheon Variation
French Defense: McCutcheon Variation (C12) starts 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4. In 1,288 games between strong players, White wins 44%, 12% are drawn and Black wins 44%; the most played move is 5.e5 (84%).
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4
- ECO
- C12
- Games between strong players
- 1,288
- To move
- White
White wins, draws and Black wins, from this position.
What strong players play next
The moves played most from this position in over-the-board broadcasts and the Lichess Elite Database, how often, and how the games ended.
| Move | Played | Results | Leads to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.e5 | 84% (1,082) | French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Advance Variation | |
| 5.Ne2 | 8% (98) | French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Wolf Gambit | |
| 5.exd5 | 6% (72) | French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Exchange Variation | |
| 5.Bd3 | 2% (19) | – | |
| 5.Bxf6 | 1% (16) | – |
Where it comes from and where it goes
Branches from French Defense, Classical, 4. Bg5 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5
More French Defense lines
- French Defense 99,820 games
- French Defense: Normal Variation 83,531 games
- French Defense: Paulsen Variation 37,893 games
- French Defense: Classical Variation 20,772 games
- French Defense: Tarrasch Variation 17,534 games
- French Defense: Advance Variation 16,826 games
- French Defense: Classical Variation, Steinitz Variation 12,957 games
- French Defense: Advance Variation, Paulsen Attack 12,083 games
- French Defense: Winawer Variation 11,959 games
- French Defense: Steinitz Variation 10,175 games
- French Defense: Steinitz Variation, Boleslavsky Variation 8,299 games
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation 8,033 games
Played the French Defense lately?
Enter your Chess.com or Lichess username: every move of your game labelled from Brilliant to Blunder, and where you left theory. Free, no account.