French Defense: Classical Variation, Tarrasch Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
33,692 games: White 48.6% / Draw 4.5% / Black 46.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 13,20113K | ||
| 13,15213K | ||
| 4,5564,556 | ||
| 722722 | ||
| 430430 | ||
| 305305 | ||
| 260260 | ||
| 252252 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.21 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... Qb4 8. Nf3 Qxb2 9. Nb5 Qb4+ 10. Qd2 Qxd2+ 11. Kxd2 Na6 12. h4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: Classical Variation, Tarrasch 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. Bd3 (7 moves).
In 33,692 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.6%, Black 46.9% and 4.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…c5, in 39% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the French Defense: Classical Variation, Tarrasch Variation
7…a6 scores best for Black: 53.1%, with Black winning 50.6% and White 44.5% of 13K games. The most played answer, 7…c5, scores lowest: 46.2% in 13K games. Stockfish's first choice is 7…Qb4.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Classical Variation, Tarrasch Variation (C14)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-classical-variation-tarrasch-variation