C10

French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Fort Knox Variation

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Statistics from Lichess

441,224 games: White 46.4% / Draw 8.6% / Black 45.0%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	378,557379K
	33,70634K
	10,32710K
	9,5269,526
	3,6293,629
	1,4911,491
	840840
	755755

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 16, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.48 White is slightly better

Best play: 6. Bd3 Nd7 7. Nc3 Ngf6 8. O-O Bb4 9. Qe2 O-O 10. Rd1 Bxf3

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 51% 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	10K
1400–1799	75K
1800–2199	261K
2200 and up	125K
Masters, over the board	2,787

Master games

So, W. – Carlsen, M. ½–½, 2017
Anand, V. – Gelfand, B. ½–½, 2009
Gashimov, V. – Gelfand, B. ½–½, 2009
Dominguez Perez, L. – Rapport, R. ½–½, 2019
Anand, V. – Gelfand, B. ½–½, 2006

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, Fort Knox Variation (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 Bd7 5. Nf3 Bc6 (5 moves).

In 441,224 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.4%, Black 45.0% and 8.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Bd3, in 86% of those games.

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Description

How to play against the French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Fort Knox Variation

6. Ng3 scores best for White: 51.0%, with White winning 47.3% and Black 45.4% of 34K games. The most played answer, 6. Bd3, scores lowest: 50.6% in 379K games. Stockfish's first choice is 6. Bd3.

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, Fort Knox Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.02% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.016% (its peak: 0.024% in 2018).

0.016%0.02%0.024%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.016%	5,734
2017	0.022%	11,957
2018	0.024%	18,953
2019	0.022%	27,018
2020	0.019%	55,367
2021	0.014%	54,111
2022	0.014%	52,707
2023	0.014%	54,263
2024	0.017%	60,816
2025	0.02%	68,520
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.021%	23,502

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

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Fort Knox Variation (C10)”. Lichess data as of 16 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-rubinstein-variation-fort-knox-variation