Caissa Codex
C00

French Defense: Franco-Hiva Gambit

Chess diagram: French Defense: Franco-Hiva Gambit after 2…f5

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Statistics from Lichess

252,734 games: White 53.0% / Draw 4.2% / Black 42.8%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
French Defense: Franco-Hiva Gambit Accepted 134,612135K
51,88152K
40,28140K
12,23012K
3,3613,361
2,8322,832
2,0822,082
1,4151,415

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026

Engine evaluation

+1.81 White is clearly better

Best play: 3. exf5 exf5 4. Bd3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Be7 6. Bxf5 d5 7. Bxc8 Qxc8

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

By rating

Rating changes little here: Black scores 43% under 1400, 41% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).

PlayersGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400 186K
1400–1799 155K
1800–2199 158K
2200 and up 11K
Masters, over the board 2

Master games

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: Franco-Hiva Gambit (ECO C00, Open Games) is a gambit in the French Defense: Normal Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 f5 (2 moves).

In 252,734 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.0%, Black 42.8% and 4.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. exf5, in 53% of those games.

It continues into one named variation, French Defense: Franco-Hiva Gambit Accepted.

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How to play against the French Defense: Franco-Hiva Gambit

3. Nc3 scores best for White: 57.4%, with White winning 55.4% and Black 40.6% of 40K games. The most played, 3. exf5, scores 56.0% in 135K games, and 3. e5 scores lowest: 51.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. exf5.

Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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: Franco-Hiva Gambit peaked in 2019 at 0.012% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.009% in 2025.

Numbers by year
YearShare of gamesGames
20160.0085%3,038
20170.0089%4,874
20180.012%9,244
20190.012%15,542
20200.011%31,140
20210.0092%36,064
20220.01%37,544
20230.0096%36,080
20240.009%32,167
20250.009%31,381
2026 (Jan–Apr)0.011%11,585

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)

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 2…f5, the position after French Defense: Normal Variation also goes on to:

Transpositions

This position is also reached from these lines, by another move order:

From here, a move transposes into another named line:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Franco-Hiva Gambit (C00)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-franco-hiva-gambit

https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-franco-hiva-gambit