French Defense: Bird Invitation
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Statistics from Lichess
191,696 games: White 45.4% / Draw 3.9% / Black 50.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 91,62492K | ||
| 52,46252K | ||
| 8,9288,928 | ||
| 8,4128,412 | ||
| 6,8676,867 | ||
| 5,3475,347 | ||
| 3,6073,607 | ||
| 3,4213,421 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.07 The position is about equal
Best play: 2... a6 3. Be2 d5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. d4 Bd6 7. Bg5
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 41% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 261K | |
| 1400–1799 | 231K | |
| 1800–2199 | 82K | |
| 2200 and up | 3,107 | |
| Masters, over the board | 15 |
Master games
- Wahls, M. – Vaisser, A.
- Bjazevic, P. – Lara Ruiz, J.
- Wahls, M. – Hausner, I.
- Bojarinov, V. A. – Alavkin, A.
- Bojarinov, V. A. – Andreev, E.
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: Bird Invitation (ECO C00, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. Bb5 (2 moves).
In 191,696 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.4%, Black 50.8% and 3.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…c6, in 48% 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: Bird Invitation
The most played answer, 2…c6, also scores best for Black: 53.3%, with Black winning 51.3% and White 44.7% of 92K games. Of the main answers, 2…a6 scores lowest: 52.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 2…a6.
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: Bird Invitation has lost ground since 2016: 0.0067% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.0094%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0094% | 3,353 |
| 2017 | 0.0089% | 4,889 |
| 2018 | 0.0085% | 6,656 |
| 2019 | 0.0089% | 11,056 |
| 2020 | 0.0081% | 23,781 |
| 2021 | 0.0078% | 30,564 |
| 2022 | 0.007% | 26,099 |
| 2023 | 0.0072% | 26,996 |
| 2024 | 0.007% | 25,250 |
| 2025 | 0.0067% | 23,367 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0063% | 6,923 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Bird Invitation (C00)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-bird-invitation