Tree path 11 levels French Defense › Normal Variation › French Defense › Advance Variation › French Defense: Advance Variation › French Defense: Advance Variation › French Defense: Advance Variation › Paulsen Attack › French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit › Hector Variation › French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Hector Variation
- Chess Codex
- French Defense C00
- Normal Variation C00
- French Defense C00
- Advance Variation C02
- French Defense: Advance Variation C02
- French Defense: Advance Variation C02
- French Defense: Advance Variation C02
- Paulsen Attack C02
- French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit C02
- Hector Variation C02
- French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Hector Variation C02 you are here
French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Hector Variation
Overview
French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Hector Variation is a gambit, classified under ECO code C02 within the Open Games family. As with all gambits, one side sacrifices material early — usually a pawn — in exchange for development, open lines, or initiative.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
It begins with 15 plies and takes 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. O-O Bd7 8. Re1 to reach the canonical position.
It is a variation of French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Hector Variation, which itself descends from the root opening French Defense.
Step through the moves on the interactive board below, review the live Lichess statistics, or play this position against Stockfish at one of six difficulty levels.
- ECO code
- C02
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 15
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
141,722 games · White 53.3% / Draw 4.2% / Black 42.5%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| dxc3 | 69,840 | |
| Nge7 | 35,182 | |
| Rc8 | 13,597 | |
| a6 | 6,458 | |
| Nh6 | 5,442 | |
| Bc5 | 4,288 | |
| a5 | 1,862 | |
| h6 | 1,462 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 03:04:57
Write a description
Markdown supported (headings ###, bold, lists, links).
Submissions are reviewed before publishing.