French Defense: Advance Variation, Extended Bishop Swap
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Statistics from Lichess
241,152 games: White 45.8% / Draw 4.5% / Black 49.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 105,246105K | ||
| 49,99650K | ||
| 28,55029K | ||
| 14,65815K | ||
| 13,11013K | ||
| 8,5388,538 | ||
| 5,9545,954 | ||
| 3,7033,703 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.23 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. c3 c5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Be2 Nge7 7. Na3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Nf5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for Black: Black scores 47% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 102K | |
| 1400–1799 | 200K | |
| 1800–2199 | 117K | |
| 2200 and up | 18K | |
| Masters, over the board | 127 |
Master games
- Lu Shanglei – Mendonca, L. L.
- Motylev, A. – Rustemov, A.
- Najer, E. – Bauer, C.
- Piorun, K. – Ider, B.
- Haba, P. – Graf, A.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
French Defense: Advance Variation, Extended Bishop Swap (ECO C02, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Advance Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bd7 (3 moves).
In 241,152 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.8%, Black 49.7% and 4.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nf3, in 44% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the French Defense: Advance Variation, Extended Bishop Swap
4. c4 scores best for White: 50.9%, with White winning 48.7% and Black 47.0% of 13K games. The most played, 4. Nf3, scores 47.7% in 105K games, and 4. f4 scores lowest: 46.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. c3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The French Defense: Advance Variation, Extended Bishop Swap has gained ground since 2016: 0.016% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.012%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.012% | 4,274 |
| 2017 | 0.0095% | 5,228 |
| 2018 | 0.0073% | 5,735 |
| 2019 | 0.0071% | 8,879 |
| 2020 | 0.0059% | 17,233 |
| 2021 | 0.0057% | 22,344 |
| 2022 | 0.0072% | 26,902 |
| 2023 | 0.009% | 33,912 |
| 2024 | 0.01% | 35,974 |
| 2025 | 0.016% | 56,502 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.017% | 18,187 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Advance Variation, Extended Bishop Swap (C02)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-advance-variation-extended-bishop-swap