French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Capablanca Line
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Statistics from Lichess
14,814 games: White 51.9% / Draw 8.5% / Black 39.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 5,9305,930 | ||
| 3,3793,379 | ||
| 3,1323,132 | ||
| 906906 | ||
| 797797 | ||
| 159159 | ||
| 150150 | ||
| 112112 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.25 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... Nd7 8. Nc4 Be7 9. Bd3 O-O 10. Be3 b6 11. Qf3 Ba6 12. O-O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Capablanca Line (ECO C10, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Blackburne Defense, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. Ne5 (7 moves).
In 14,814 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.9%, Black 39.6% and 8.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…Be7, in 40% 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: Rubinstein Variation, Capablanca Line
7…Nd7 scores best for Black: 46.7%, with Black winning 39.9% and White 46.5% of 797 games. The most played, 7…Be7, scores 43.5% in 5,930 games, and 7…Bd6 scores lowest: 42.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…Nd7.
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: Rubinstein Variation, Capablanca Line (C10)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-rubinstein-variation-capablanca-line