Tree path 6 levels French Defense › Normal Variation › French Defense › Paulsen Variation › French Defense: Steinitz Variation › French Defense: Classical Variation
- Chess Codex
- French Defense C00
- Normal Variation C00
- French Defense C00
- Paulsen Variation C10
- French Defense: Steinitz Variation C11
- French Defense: Classical Variation C14 you are here
French Defense: Classical Variation
Overview
French Defense: Classical Variation is a named branch in the Open Games group of chess theory, classified under ECO C14.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
It begins with 11 plies and takes 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 a6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bg5 to reach the canonical position.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from French Defense: Steinitz Variation, part of the broader French Defense system.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- C14
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 11
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
19,097 games · White 44.8% / Draw 4.7% / Black 50.4%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Be7 | 16,978 | |
| c5 | 1,313 | |
| f6 | 738 | |
| b5 | 30 | |
| c6 | 9 | |
| h6 | 8 | |
| Nc6 | 7 | |
| Nb6 | 4 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:27:35
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