French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Blackburne Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
1,824,424 games: White 46.3% / Draw 7.5% / Black 46.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,268,7451.3M | ||
| 243,205243K | ||
| 63,14863K | ||
| 39,98440K | ||
| 36,19036K | ||
| 27,10627K | ||
| 25,20025K | ||
| 21,59822K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 7, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.30 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. c3 Be7 8. Bd3 c5 9. O-O O-O
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 54% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 39% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 25K | |
| 1400–1799 | 252K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.2M | |
| 2200 and up | 404K | |
| Masters, over the board | 5,615 |
Master games
- Kasparov, G. – Anand, V.
- Kasparov, G. – Anand, V.
- Kasparov, G. – Ponomariov, R.
- Nakamura, H. – Harikrishna, P.
- Aronian, L. – So, W.
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: Rubinstein Variation, Blackburne Defense (ECO C10, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 (4 moves).
In 1,824,424 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.3%, Black 46.2% and 7.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Nf3, in 70% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Capablanca Line.
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: Rubinstein Variation, Blackburne Defense
5. Bd3 scores best for White: 51.4%, with White winning 47.8% and Black 45.1% of 243K games. The most played answer, 5. Nf3, scores lowest: 50.5% in 1.3M games. Stockfish's first choice is 5. Nf3.
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: Rubinstein Variation, Blackburne Defense peaked in 2018 at 0.094% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.076% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.067% | 23,777 |
| 2017 | 0.084% | 46,064 |
| 2018 | 0.094% | 73,963 |
| 2019 | 0.081% | 100,965 |
| 2020 | 0.076% | 221,200 |
| 2021 | 0.062% | 244,468 |
| 2022 | 0.063% | 235,616 |
| 2023 | 0.066% | 248,014 |
| 2024 | 0.069% | 246,126 |
| 2025 | 0.076% | 264,379 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.08% | 87,475 |
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: Rubinstein Variation, Blackburne Defense (C10)”. Lichess data as of 7 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-rubinstein-variation-blackburne-defense