French Defense: Classical Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
569,473 games: White 47.9% / Draw 6.1% / Black 46.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 384,286384K | ||
| 139,553140K | ||
| 21,63522K | ||
| 8,3548,354 | ||
| 6,3446,344 | ||
| 2,9922,992 | ||
| 1,8971,897 | ||
| 1,1341,134 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... exd5 5. Nf3 Bd6 6. Nb5 Bb4+ 7. c3 Ba5 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O
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 49% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 124K | |
| 1400–1799 | 207K | |
| 1800–2199 | 374K | |
| 2200 and up | 64K | |
| Masters, over the board | 430 |
Master games
- Yu Yangyi – Vitiugov, N.
- Harikrishna, P. – Wang Hao
- Short, N. D. – Morozevich, A.
- Short, N. – Harikrishna, P.
- Ultra-d – Rentner2
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, Delayed Exchange Variation (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. exd5 (4 moves).
In 569,473 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.9%, Black 46.1% and 6.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…exd5, in 67% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, French Defense: Exchange Variation, Svenonius Variation.
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, Delayed Exchange Variation
The most played answer, 4…exd5, also scores best for Black: 50.7%, with Black winning 47.6% and White 46.1% of 384K games. Of the main answers, 4…Nxd5 scores lowest: 46.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…exd5.
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: Classical Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation dipped to 0.02% of Lichess games in 2022 and has recovered since: 0.023% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.02% | 7,313 |
| 2017 | 0.024% | 13,462 |
| 2018 | 0.027% | 21,046 |
| 2019 | 0.025% | 31,454 |
| 2020 | 0.023% | 68,153 |
| 2021 | 0.02% | 78,722 |
| 2022 | 0.02% | 74,536 |
| 2023 | 0.021% | 79,159 |
| 2024 | 0.022% | 78,794 |
| 2025 | 0.023% | 81,008 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.024% | 26,375 |
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 (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Classical Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation (C11)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-classical-variation-delayed-exchange-variation