French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Bernstein Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
36,741 games: White 44.2% / Draw 5.1% / Black 50.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 35,91936K | ||
| 662662 | ||
| 7878 | ||
| 4242 | ||
| 99 | ||
| 66 | ||
| 55 | ||
| 44 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
0.00 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... g5 7. Bg3 Ne4 8. Ne2 Nxg3 9. hxg3 Be7 10. f4 c5 11. dxc5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Bernstein Variation (ECO C12, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Advance Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 5. e5 h6 6. Bh4 (6 moves).
In 36,741 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.2%, Black 50.7% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…g5, in 98% of those games.
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Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Bernstein Variation (C12)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-mccutcheon-variation-bernstein-variation