French Defense: Marshall Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
1,592,618 games: White 55.4% / Draw 4.3% / Black 40.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 724,842725K | ||
| 324,326324K | ||
| 244,094244K | ||
| 87,14387K | ||
| 86,07286K | ||
| 78,62879K | ||
| 12,19412K | ||
| 10,08710K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 23, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.54 White is clearly better
Best play: 4. exd5 exd5 5. Bb5+ Nc6 6. dxc5 Be6 7. Be3 Ne7 8. Nge2 Nf5
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 Black: Black scores 49% under 1400, 42% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 876K | |
| 1400–1799 | 1.5M | |
| 1800–2199 | 802K | |
| 2200 and up | 42K | |
| Masters, over the board | 10 |
Master games
- Nadanian, A. – Akbaev, K.
- Matei, C. – Darvas, I.
- Tokranovs, D. – Miezis, N.
- Triapkin, P. – Kim, S.
- Kukel, I. J. – Mihalko, J.
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: Marshall Gambit (ECO C10, Open Games) is a gambit in the French Defense: Paulsen Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 c5 (3 moves).
In 1,592,618 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 55.4%, Black 40.3% and 4.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. exd5, in 46% 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: Marshall Gambit
The most played answer, 4. exd5, also scores best for White: 60.6%, with White winning 58.3% and Black 37.2% of 725K games. Of the main answers, 4. Be3 scores lowest: 52.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. exd5.
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: Marshall Gambit peaked in 2018 at 0.074% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.061% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.071% | 25,373 |
| 2017 | 0.073% | 40,095 |
| 2018 | 0.074% | 58,107 |
| 2019 | 0.071% | 88,330 |
| 2020 | 0.069% | 201,911 |
| 2021 | 0.063% | 245,701 |
| 2022 | 0.056% | 209,613 |
| 2023 | 0.056% | 212,290 |
| 2024 | 0.058% | 207,076 |
| 2025 | 0.061% | 211,464 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.06% | 66,035 |
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: Marshall Gambit (C10)”. Lichess data as of 23 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-marshall-gambit