French Defense: Exchange Variation, Svenonius Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
936,816 games: White 45.1% / Draw 5.2% / Black 49.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 395,759396K | ||
| 254,977255K | ||
| 113,851114K | ||
| 53,84054K | ||
| 42,53043K | ||
| 25,13625K | ||
| 15,77916K | ||
| French Defense: Exchange Variation, Bogoljubow Variation | 10,22210K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... Be7 6. Nf3 O-O 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. h3 h6 9. Bf4 Nb4 10. O-O
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 51% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 226K | |
| 1400–1799 | 803K | |
| 1800–2199 | 444K | |
| 2200 and up | 22K | |
| Masters, over the board | 170 |
Master games
- Yu Yangyi – Vitiugov, N.
- Harikrishna, P. – Wang Hao
- Short, N. D. – Morozevich, A.
- Short, N. – Harikrishna, P.
- Short, N. D. – Tikkanen, 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: Exchange Variation, Svenonius Variation (ECO C01, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Classical Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bg5 (5 moves).
In 936,816 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.1%, Black 49.7% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Be7, in 42% of those games.
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: Exchange Variation, Svenonius Variation
5…c6 scores best for Black: 54.5%, with Black winning 51.8% and White 42.8% of 255K games. The most played, 5…Be7, scores 52.4% in 396K games, and 5…Bb4 scores lowest: 51.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…Be7.
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
The French Defense: Exchange Variation, Svenonius Variation has stayed between 0.034% and 0.039% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.034% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.036% | 12,983 |
| 2017 | 0.037% | 20,533 |
| 2018 | 0.038% | 29,762 |
| 2019 | 0.039% | 49,222 |
| 2020 | 0.038% | 112,027 |
| 2021 | 0.037% | 144,917 |
| 2022 | 0.035% | 133,268 |
| 2023 | 0.037% | 137,560 |
| 2024 | 0.035% | 124,987 |
| 2025 | 0.034% | 119,433 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.034% | 37,377 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Exchange Variation, Svenonius Variation (C01)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-exchange-variation-svenonius-variation