French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Kasparov Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
48,031 games: White 48.7% / Draw 9.5% / Black 41.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 20,20820K | ||
| 17,95318K | ||
| 3,8153,815 | ||
| 3,6333,633 | ||
| 1,1691,169 | ||
| 514514 | ||
| 418418 | ||
| 170170 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.30 White is slightly better
Best play: 7... Be7 8. Bf4 c5 9. dxc5 Qxd1+ 10. Rxd1 Bxc5 11. Be2 O-O 12. Ne5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Kasparov Attack (ECO C10, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. c3 (7 moves).
In 48,031 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.7%, Black 41.7% and 9.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…Be7, in 42% 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, Kasparov Attack
The most played answer, 7…Be7, also scores best for Black: 48.5%, with Black winning 44.2% and White 47.2% of 20K games. Of the main answers, 7…c5 scores lowest: 44.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7…Be7.
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, Kasparov Attack (C10)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-rubinstein-variation-kasparov-attack