French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Maróczy Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
128,561 games: White 49.7% / Draw 4.8% / Black 45.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 74,77275K | ||
| 13,77814K | ||
| 12,31112K | ||
| 7,1807,180 | ||
| 7,1007,100 | ||
| 5,2595,259 | ||
| 2,3602,360 | ||
| 1,9901,990 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.28 White is better
Best play: 7. Qg4 f6 8. Bd2 fxe5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Qxg7 Bf6 11. Qg3 Qd6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Maróczy Variation (ECO C13, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4 a6 (6 moves).
In 128,561 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.7%, Black 45.5% and 4.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Qg4, in 58% of those games.
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: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Maróczy Variation
The most played answer, 7. Qg4, also scores best for White: 55.6%, with White winning 53.3% and Black 42.0% of 75K games. Of the main answers, 7. Nh3 scores lowest: 44.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. Qg4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Maróczy Variation (C13)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-alekhine-chatard-attack-maroczy-variation