French Defense: Classical Variation 5…Nfd7 6. Bg5
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Statistics from Lichess
19,097 games: White 44.8% / Draw 4.7% / Black 50.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 16,97817K | ||
| 1,3131,313 | ||
| 738738 | ||
| 3030 | ||
| 99 | ||
| 88 | ||
| 77 | ||
| 44 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.20 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... Be7 7. h4 h6 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Qd2 c5 10. O-O-O Nc6 11. dxc5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: Classical Variation (ECO C14, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Steinitz Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 a6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bg5 (6 moves).
In 19,097 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.8%, Black 50.4% and 4.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Be7, in 89% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 6. Bg5
The most played answer, 6…Be7, also scores best for Black: 56.7%, with Black winning 54.2% and White 40.7% of 17K games. Of the main answers, 6…c5 scores lowest: 8.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…Be7.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Classical Variation (C14)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-classical-variation-4