Caissa Codex
C02

French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Hector Variation 7…Bd7 8. Re1

Chess diagram: French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Hector Variation after 8. Re1

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Statistics from Lichess

141,722 games: White 53.3% / Draw 4.2% / Black 42.5%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
69,84070K
35,18235K
13,59714K
6,4586,458
5,4425,442
4,2884,288
1,8621,862
1,4621,462

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.15 The position is about equal

Best play: 8... Nge7 9. h4 h6 10. h5 Rc8 11. Nbd2 dxc3 12. bxc3 Na5 13. Rb1

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Hector Variation (ECO C02, Open Games) is a gambit in the French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Hector Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. O-O Bd7 8. Re1 (8 moves).

In 141,722 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.3%, Black 42.5% and 4.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…dxc3, in 49% of those games.

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How to answer 8. Re1

8…Rc8 scores best for Black: 48.2%, with Black winning 45.7% and White 49.3% of 14K games. The most played answer, 8…dxc3, scores lowest: 41.4% in 70K games. Stockfish's first choice is 8…Nge7.

Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Hector Variation (C02)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-advance-variation-milner-barry-gambit-hector-variation-2

https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-advance-variation-milner-barry-gambit-hector-variation-2