Chess openings / French Defense
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation, Main Line
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation, Main Line (C18) starts 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 Qc7 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 cxd4 10.Ne2. In 521 games between strong players, White wins 48%, 20% are drawn and Black wins 32%; the most played move is 10…Nbc6 (67%).
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 Qc7 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 cxd4 10.Ne2
- ECO
- C18
- Games between strong players
- 521
- To move
- Black
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10…Nbc6 | 67% (350) | – | |
| 10…dxc3 | 32% (165) | – | |
| 10…Qxe5 | 1% (3) | – |
Where it comes from and where it goes
Branches from French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 Qc7
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.