French Defense: Advance Variation, Nimzowitsch Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
460,933 games: White 53.1% / Draw 4.0% / Black 43.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 193,306193K | ||
| 180,091180K | ||
| 21,37521K | ||
| 19,61520K | ||
| 11,62012K | ||
| 7,4577,457 | ||
| 5,8705,870 | ||
| 4,3694,369 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
−1.09 Black is better
Best play: 4... Nc6 5. Nf3 cxd4 6. Bd3 h5 7. Qf4 f6 8. h4 Qc7 9. O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 51% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 7,283 | |
| 1400–1799 | 87K | |
| 1800–2199 | 322K | |
| 2200 and up | 73K | |
| Masters, over the board | 141 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Vasiukov, E. – Savon, V. A.
- Sveshnikov, E. – Komarov, D.
- Ivanovic, B. – Antic, D.
- Hector, J. – King, D. J.
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, Nimzowitsch Attack (ECO C02, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Advance Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. Qg4 (4 moves).
In 460,933 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.1%, Black 43.0% and 4.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nc6, in 42% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, French Defense: Advance Variation, Nimzowitsch Gambit.
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, Nimzowitsch Attack
The most played answer, 4…Nc6, also scores best for Black: 45.3%, with Black winning 43.4% and White 52.7% of 193K games. Of the main answers, 4…cxd4 scores lowest: 44.2%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…Nc6.
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
Popularity by year
The French Defense: Advance Variation, Nimzowitsch Attack has gained ground since 2016: 0.017% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.011% (its peak: 0.025% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.011% | 3,976 |
| 2017 | 0.017% | 9,228 |
| 2018 | 0.025% | 19,631 |
| 2019 | 0.022% | 28,064 |
| 2020 | 0.018% | 53,760 |
| 2021 | 0.017% | 68,402 |
| 2022 | 0.018% | 66,731 |
| 2023 | 0.019% | 70,110 |
| 2024 | 0.017% | 60,142 |
| 2025 | 0.017% | 57,435 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.016% | 17,984 |
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, Nimzowitsch Attack (C02)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-advance-variation-nimzowitsch-attack