French Defense: Classical Variation 6. Bxe7 Qxe7
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Statistics from Lichess
773,020 games: White 51.9% / Draw 5.4% / Black 42.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Steinitz Variation | 413,870414K | |
| 122,492122K | ||
| Pollock Variation | 84,63985K | |
| Alapin Variation | 49,16449K | |
| Tarrasch Variation | 33,08033K | |
| Rubinstein Variation | 22,37022K | |
| 16,19916K | ||
| 9,0959,095 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.30 White is slightly better
Best play: 7. f4 O-O 8. Nf3 c5 9. Nb5 cxd4 10. Bd3 Nc6 11. O-O f6
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 worse this line does for Black: Black scores 49% under 1400, 44% at 2200 and up and 42% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 12K | |
| 1400–1799 | 153K | |
| 1800–2199 | 537K | |
| 2200 and up | 119K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,192 |
Master games
- Anand, V. – Morozevich, A.
- Shirov, A. – Morozevich, A.
- Topalov, V. – Vallejo Pons, F.
- Shirov, A. – Gurevich, M.
- Kasimdzhanov, R. – Morozevich, A.
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: Classical Variation (ECO C14, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Classical Variation, Normal Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 (6 moves).
In 773,020 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.9%, Black 42.8% and 5.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. f4, in 54% of those games.
It branches into 5 named variations; the most played are French Defense: Classical Variation, Steinitz Variation and French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation. In all, 6 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 6…Qxe7
7. Nb5 (Alapin Variation) scores best for White: 59.0%, with White winning 56.5% and Black 38.4% of 49K games. The most played, 7. f4, scores 56.4% in 414K games, and 7. Nf3 scores lowest: 48.0%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. f4.
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
Popularity by year
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.028% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.036% (its peak: 0.045% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.036% | 12,864 |
| 2017 | 0.043% | 23,440 |
| 2018 | 0.045% | 35,442 |
| 2019 | 0.04% | 49,291 |
| 2020 | 0.036% | 104,704 |
| 2021 | 0.028% | 110,914 |
| 2022 | 0.026% | 98,240 |
| 2023 | 0.027% | 100,827 |
| 2024 | 0.027% | 98,010 |
| 2025 | 0.028% | 95,726 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.028% | 30,163 |
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
Variations (5)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Classical Variation (C14)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-classical-variation-5