French Defense: Advance Variation, Nimzowitsch System
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Statistics from Lichess
4,949,479 games: White 41.4% / Draw 4.1% / Black 54.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,917,4372.9M | ||
| 1,153,0921.2M | ||
| 475,648476K | ||
| 124,814125K | ||
| 86,42886K | ||
| 57,52058K | ||
| 53,12953K | ||
| 19,90020K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.07 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... cxd4 5. Nxd4 Ne7 6. Bd3 Nbc6 7. Nxc6 Nxc6 8. Qe2 Qc7 9. f4
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 47% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 52% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3M | |
| 1400–1799 | 5.8M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2M | |
| 2200 and up | 113K | |
| Masters, over the board | 468 |
Master games
- Abdusattorov, N. – Rapport, R.
- Short, N. D. – Bareev, E.
- Hodgson, J. M. – Short, N. D.
- Nisipeanu, L. – Bacrot, E.
- Hodgson, J. M. – Bischoff, K.
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 26, 2026
Overview
French Defense: Advance Variation, Nimzowitsch System (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. Nf3 (4 moves).
In 4,949,479 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 41.4%, Black 54.5% and 4.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nc6, in 59% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, French Defense: Advance Variation, Ruisdonk 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 System
4…cxd4 scores best for Black: 57.5%, with Black winning 55.5% and White 40.5% of 1.2M games. The most played answer, 4…Nc6, scores lowest: 56.6% in 2.9M games. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…cxd4.
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 System has lost ground since 2016: 0.17% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.25%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.25% | 88,293 |
| 2017 | 0.23% | 125,247 |
| 2018 | 0.2% | 159,705 |
| 2019 | 0.2% | 253,229 |
| 2020 | 0.2% | 598,726 |
| 2021 | 0.21% | 812,591 |
| 2022 | 0.19% | 717,460 |
| 2023 | 0.19% | 701,893 |
| 2024 | 0.18% | 628,799 |
| 2025 | 0.17% | 600,211 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.17% | 184,321 |
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)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Advance Variation, Nimzowitsch System (C02)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-advance-variation-nimzowitsch-system