French Defense: Exchange Variation 3…exd5 4. Nc3
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Statistics from Lichess
5,791,425 games: White 45.0% / Draw 5.3% / Black 49.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,401,7783.4M | ||
| 978,281978K | ||
| 351,644352K | ||
| 220,535221K | ||
| 200,918201K | ||
| 188,551189K | ||
| 165,261165K | ||
| 84,39484K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... Nf6 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 worse this line does for White: White scores 51% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.5M | |
| 1400–1799 | 4.4M | |
| 1800–2199 | 3M | |
| 2200 and up | 122K | |
| Masters, over the board | 128 |
Master games
- Moroni, L. – Maghsoodloo, P.
- Delgado Ramirez, N. – Ramirez, A.
- Delgado Ramirez, N. – Ramirez, A.
- Kristjansson, S. – Hou, Y.
- Bauer, C. – Fridman, D.
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: Exchange Variation (ECO C01, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Exchange Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Nc3 (4 moves).
In 5,791,425 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.0%, Black 49.7% and 5.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nf6, in 59% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, French Defense: Exchange Variation, Bogoljubow Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 4. Nc3
4…c6 scores best for Black: 53.5%, with Black winning 50.7% and White 43.6% of 978K games. The most played answer, 4…Nf6, scores lowest: 52.6% in 3.4M games. Stockfish's first choice is 4…Nf6.
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 gained ground since 2016: 0.24% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.19%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.19% | 68,869 |
| 2017 | 0.2% | 110,420 |
| 2018 | 0.21% | 164,487 |
| 2019 | 0.22% | 270,966 |
| 2020 | 0.22% | 650,511 |
| 2021 | 0.22% | 846,948 |
| 2022 | 0.22% | 808,549 |
| 2023 | 0.23% | 855,513 |
| 2024 | 0.23% | 828,158 |
| 2025 | 0.24% | 829,487 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.24% | 261,402 |
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: Exchange Variation (C01)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-exchange-variation-2