French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Grigoriev Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
5,544 games: White 49.8% / Draw 9.8% / Black 40.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 5,2185,218 | ||
| 124124 | ||
| 7171 | ||
| 4949 | ||
| 3939 | ||
| 2626 | ||
| 99 | ||
| 33 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.01 The position is about equal
Best play: 9... Qf6 10. Rxh4 Nc6 11. a3 Rxg7 12. Qh3 Bxc3+ 13. bxc3 Rg8 14. Qh2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Grigoriev Variation (ECO C12, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Chigorin Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 5. e5 h6 6. exf6 hxg5 7. fxg7 Rg8 8. h4 gxh4 9. Qg4 (9 moves).
In 5,544 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.8%, Black 40.4% and 9.8% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 9…Qf6, in 94% of those games.
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Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Grigoriev Variation (C12)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-mccutcheon-variation-grigoriev-variation