French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Main Line
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Statistics from Lichess
783,416 games: White 50.9% / Draw 4.1% / Black 45.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 717,949718K | ||
| 25,85026K | ||
| 16,29316K | ||
| 9,6309,630 | ||
| 3,9103,910 | ||
| 2,6422,642 | ||
| 1,2791,279 | ||
| 1,1671,167 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.10 The position is about equal
Best play: 8... Nxd4 9. Nbd2 Bc5 10. Nxd4 Bxd4 11. Nf3 Ne7 12. Bd2 O-O 13. a4
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 White: White scores 46% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 22K | |
| 1400–1799 | 197K | |
| 1800–2199 | 546K | |
| 2200 and up | 93K | |
| Masters, over the board | 409 |
Master games
- Topalov, V. – Morozevich, A.
- Alekseenko, K. – Lagarde, M.
- Durarbayli, V. – Shankland, S.
- Mamedov, R. – Kourkoulos Arditis, S.
- Durarbayli, V. – Meier, G.
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, Milner-Barry Gambit, Main Line (ECO C02, Open Games) is a gambit in the French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7 8. O-O (8 moves).
In 783,416 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.9%, Black 45.1% and 4.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…Nxd4, in 92% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Sørensen Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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Popularity by year
The French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Main Line peaked in 2018 at 0.042% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.029% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.03% | 10,797 |
| 2017 | 0.039% | 21,313 |
| 2018 | 0.042% | 32,920 |
| 2019 | 0.038% | 47,101 |
| 2020 | 0.035% | 102,053 |
| 2021 | 0.027% | 106,686 |
| 2022 | 0.027% | 101,451 |
| 2023 | 0.03% | 113,332 |
| 2024 | 0.029% | 103,350 |
| 2025 | 0.029% | 101,069 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.028% | 31,112 |
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit, Main Line (C02)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-advance-variation-milner-barry-gambit-main-line