French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Dr. Olland Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
17,910 games: White 53.5% / Draw 5.4% / Black 41.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 14,30914K | ||
| 2,2892,289 | ||
| 1,2591,259 | ||
| 4040 | ||
| 88 | ||
| 22 | ||
| 11 | ||
| 11 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.38 White is slightly better
Best play: 6... Ne4 7. Qg4 Kf8 8. Ne2 c5 9. a3 h5 10. Qf3 Qa5 11. axb4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Dr. Olland 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. Bc1 (6 moves).
In 17,910 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.5%, Black 41.1% and 5.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Ne4, in 80% 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: McCutcheon Variation, Dr. Olland Variation
The most played answer, 6…Ne4, also scores best for Black: 44.9%, with Black winning 42.1% and White 52.2% of 14K games. Of the main answers, 6…Bxc3+ scores lowest: 36.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…Ne4.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Dr. Olland Variation (C12)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-mccutcheon-variation-dr-olland-variation