French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation, Main Line
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Statistics from Lichess
207,198 games: White 56.5% / Draw 5.9% / Black 37.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 81,39281K | ||
| 59,16959K | ||
| 19,00119K | ||
| 18,56119K | ||
| 10,89011K | ||
| 7,9477,947 | ||
| 4,2674,267 | ||
| 2,8982,898 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.24 The position is about equal
Best play: 8. Qd2 Nd7 9. O-O-O b6 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. h4 Rc8 12. Rh3 c5
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, 40% at 2200 and up and 43% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 11K | |
| 1400–1799 | 43K | |
| 1800–2199 | 135K | |
| 2200 and up | 44K | |
| Masters, over the board | 630 |
Master games
- Anand, V. – Shirov, A.
- Anand, V. – Bareev, E.
- Anand, V. – Bareev, E.
- Leko, P. – Shirov, A.
- Leko, P. – Ivanchuk, V.
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, Burn Variation, Main Line (ECO C11, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Classical Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. Nf3 O-O (7 moves).
In 207,198 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 56.5%, Black 37.6% and 5.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. c3, in 39% 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: Classical Variation, Burn Variation, Main Line
8. Qd2 scores best for White: 61.7%, with White winning 58.9% and Black 35.6% of 19K games. The most played, 8. c3, scores 60.7% in 81K games, and 8. Nxf6+ scores lowest: 50.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8. Qd2.
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
The French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation, Main Line peaked in 2020 at 0.0099% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.0072% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0072% | 2,569 |
| 2017 | 0.0088% | 4,869 |
| 2018 | 0.0096% | 7,548 |
| 2019 | 0.0084% | 10,421 |
| 2020 | 0.0099% | 28,929 |
| 2021 | 0.0081% | 31,586 |
| 2022 | 0.0078% | 29,351 |
| 2023 | 0.0076% | 28,593 |
| 2024 | 0.0076% | 27,174 |
| 2025 | 0.0072% | 24,902 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0074% | 8,129 |
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: Classical Variation, Burn Variation, Main Line (C11)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-classical-variation-burn-variation-main-line