French Defense: Classical Variation, Normal Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,999,249 games: White 51.1% / Draw 5.0% / Black 44.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,561,8191.6M | ||
| French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack | 249,618250K | |
| 69,27569K | ||
| 37,72638K | ||
| 36,73837K | ||
| 11,42011K | ||
| 8,3768,376 | ||
| 6,3366,336 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.31 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. f4 a6 8. Nf3 c5 9. Ne2 Nc6
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 50% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 42% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 79K | |
| 1400–1799 | 445K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.4M | |
| 2200 and up | 325K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,928 |
Master games
- Anand, V. – Morozevich, A.
- Shirov, A. – Morozevich, A.
- Kasparov, G. – Kortschnoj, V.
- Topalov, V. – Vallejo Pons, F.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Hou Yifan
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 26, 2026
Overview
French Defense: Classical Variation, Normal Variation (ECO C13, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Classical Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 (4 moves).
In 1,999,249 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.1%, Black 44.0% and 5.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. e5, in 78% of those games.
It branches into 5 named variations; the most played are French Defense: Classical Variation and French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack. In all, 18 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 play against the French Defense: Classical Variation, Normal Variation
The most played answer, 5. e5, also scores best for White: 54.6%, with White winning 52.1% and Black 42.9% of 1.6M games. Of the main answers, 5. Bxf6 scores lowest: 51.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. e5.
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, Normal Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.071% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.089% (its peak: 0.11% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.089% | 31,823 |
| 2017 | 0.11% | 58,199 |
| 2018 | 0.11% | 88,322 |
| 2019 | 0.1% | 124,948 |
| 2020 | 0.092% | 269,258 |
| 2021 | 0.075% | 291,491 |
| 2022 | 0.07% | 261,585 |
| 2023 | 0.07% | 261,890 |
| 2024 | 0.07% | 252,202 |
| 2025 | 0.071% | 246,720 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.071% | 78,223 |
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)
All 18 named lines that continue from here
- C13 French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack 6 moves
- C14 French Defense: Classical Variation 6 moves
- C13 French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack 5 moves
- C13 French Defense: Classical Variation, Tartakower Variation 5 moves
- C13 French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation 5 moves
- C13 Albin-Chatard Gambit 7 moves
- C13 Breyer Variation 6 moves
- C13 Maróczy Variation 6 moves
- C13 Spielmann Variation 6 moves
- C13 Teichmann Variation 6 moves
- C14 Alapin Variation 7 moves
- C13 French Defense: Classical Variation, Frankfurt Variation 6 moves
- C14 Pollock Variation 7 moves
- C13 Richter Attack 7 moves
- C14 Rubinstein Variation 7 moves
- C14 Steinitz Variation 7 moves
- C14 Tarrasch Variation 7 moves
- C14 French Defense: Classical Variation, Stahlberg Variation 10 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Classical Variation, Normal Variation (C13)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-classical-variation-normal-variation