French Defense: Classical Variation, Steinitz Variation 6…Qxe7 7. f4
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Statistics from Lichess
414,240 games: White 53.5% / Draw 5.7% / Black 40.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 203,492203K | ||
| 116,420116K | ||
| 67,71068K | ||
| 7,0207,020 | ||
| 2,9952,995 | ||
| 2,6312,631 | ||
| 2,4252,425 | ||
| 2,3202,320 |
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: 7... a6 8. Qg4 g6 9. Nf3 c5 10. dxc5 Nc6 11. Qg3 Nxc5 12. Bd3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1,284 | |
| 1400–1799 | 49K | |
| 1800–2199 | 291K | |
| 2200 and up | 81K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,928 |
Master games
- Anand, V. – Morozevich, A.
- Shirov, A. – Morozevich, A.
- Topalov, V. – Vallejo Pons, F.
- Svidler, P. – Short, N. D.
- Volokitin, A. – Ni, H.
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, Steinitz Variation (ECO C14, 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 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. f4 (7 moves).
In 414,240 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.5%, Black 40.7% and 5.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…a6, in 49% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, French Defense: Classical Variation, Stahlberg Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 7. f4
The most played answer, 7…a6, also scores best for Black: 46.9%, with Black winning 43.6% and White 49.8% of 203K games. Of the main answers, 7…c5 scores lowest: 37.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…a6.
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
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.014% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.018% (its peak: 0.026% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.018% | 6,542 |
| 2017 | 0.024% | 13,090 |
| 2018 | 0.026% | 20,065 |
| 2019 | 0.022% | 27,178 |
| 2020 | 0.02% | 58,060 |
| 2021 | 0.015% | 59,381 |
| 2022 | 0.014% | 52,936 |
| 2023 | 0.014% | 53,494 |
| 2024 | 0.014% | 50,898 |
| 2025 | 0.014% | 49,951 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.014% | 15,630 |
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, Steinitz Variation (C14)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-classical-variation-steinitz-variation-2