French Defense: Exchange Variation 3…exd5 4. Nf3
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Statistics from Lichess
23,140,887 games: White 46.2% / Draw 5.9% / Black 47.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 11,917,13011.9M | ||
| 4,059,3984.1M | ||
| 1,487,5071.5M | ||
| 1,416,3271.4M | ||
| 1,384,1501.4M | ||
| 1,097,4821.1M | ||
| 543,941544K | ||
| 366,243366K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 3, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.14 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... Nf6 5. Bd3 c5 6. O-O c4 7. Re1+ Be7 8. Bf1 O-O 9. b3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 52% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 49% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2.9M | |
| 1400–1799 | 13.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 13.7M | |
| 2200 and up | 949K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,838 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Firouzja, A.
- Aronian, L. – Caruana, F.
- Carlsen, M. – Grischuk, A.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Erigaisi, A.
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. Nf3 (4 moves).
In 23,140,887 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.2%, Black 47.8% and 5.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nf6, in 51% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 4. Nf3
4…Bd6 scores best for Black: 52.5%, with Black winning 49.4% and White 44.5% of 4.1M games. The most played, 4…Nf6, scores 51.1% in 11.9M games, and 4…c6 scores lowest: 49.7%. 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: 0.94% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.77%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.77% | 273,810 |
| 2017 | 0.88% | 485,695 |
| 2018 | 0.95% | 745,221 |
| 2019 | 0.93% | 1,156,743 |
| 2020 | 0.91% | 2,661,163 |
| 2021 | 0.85% | 3,328,295 |
| 2022 | 0.85% | 3,209,247 |
| 2023 | 0.89% | 3,358,575 |
| 2024 | 0.91% | 3,268,796 |
| 2025 | 0.94% | 3,252,891 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.93% | 1,019,633 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Exchange Variation (C01)”. Lichess data as of 3 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-exchange-variation-3