French Defense: La Bourdonnais Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
9,068,826 games: White 47.8% / Draw 3.9% / Black 48.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 5,959,9826M | ||
| 643,488643K | ||
| 511,226511K | ||
| 410,658411K | ||
| 381,018381K | ||
| 149,256149K | ||
| 144,339144K | ||
| 134,741135K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.18 The position is about equal
Best play: 2... d5 3. d3 dxe4 4. dxe4 Qxd1+ 5. Kxd1 Nd7 6. Nf3 b6 7. Bd3
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 50% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 55% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1.6M | |
| 1400–1799 | 6.1M | |
| 1800–2199 | 5M | |
| 2200 and up | 173K | |
| Masters, over the board | 319 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Grischuk, A.
- Carlsen, M. – Rapport, R.
- Yu Yangyi – Vitiugov, N.
- Nakamura, H. – Duda, J.
- Nakamura, H. – Seirawan, Y.
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: La Bourdonnais Variation (ECO C00, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. f4 (2 moves).
In 9,068,826 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.8%, Black 48.3% and 3.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…d5, in 66% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, French Defense: La Bourdonnais Variation, Reuter Gambit.
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: La Bourdonnais Variation
The most played answer, 2…d5, also scores best for Black: 52.0%, with Black winning 49.9% and White 46.0% of 6M games. Of the main answers, 2…b6 scores lowest: 47.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 2…d5.
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: La Bourdonnais Variation has stayed between 0.33% and 0.41% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.35% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.41% | 147,648 |
| 2017 | 0.41% | 227,352 |
| 2018 | 0.39% | 306,833 |
| 2019 | 0.39% | 483,913 |
| 2020 | 0.34% | 1,003,561 |
| 2021 | 0.33% | 1,307,614 |
| 2022 | 0.34% | 1,288,076 |
| 2023 | 0.34% | 1,294,922 |
| 2024 | 0.35% | 1,247,544 |
| 2025 | 0.35% | 1,211,731 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.35% | 379,586 |
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: La Bourdonnais Variation (C00)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-la-bourdonnais-variation