French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Spielmann Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
30,353 games: White 50.2% / Draw 3.9% / Black 45.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 10,40310K | ||
| 8,4648,464 | ||
| 3,7333,733 | ||
| 1,8511,851 | ||
| 1,7961,796 | ||
| 1,4911,491 | ||
| 1,1291,129 | ||
| 667667 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.61 White is clearly better
Even so, Black scores 47.8% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 7. Qh5 c5 8. Bd3 g6 9. Qh6 cxd4 10. Nf3 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 dxc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Spielmann 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 O-O (6 moves).
In 30,353 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.2%, Black 45.9% and 3.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Qg4, in 34% 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, Spielmann Variation
7. Qh5 scores best for White: 60.2%, with White winning 58.7% and Black 38.2% of 1,796 games. The most played, 7. Qg4, scores 51.2% in 10K games, and 7. Bxe7 scores lowest: 45.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. Qh5.
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, Spielmann Variation (C13)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-alekhine-chatard-attack-spielmann-variation