French Defense: Schlechter Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,713,654 games: White 49.9% / Draw 5.5% / Black 44.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 677,584678K | ||
| 469,849470K | ||
| 411,527412K | ||
| 49,60850K | ||
| 29,01329K | ||
| 13,70614K | ||
| 10,18210K | ||
| 10,06710K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 20, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.08 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... dxe4 4. Bxe4 Nf6 5. Bf3 c5 6. Ne2 Be7 7. Nbc3 O-O 8. Be3
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 better this line does for White: White scores 49% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 183K | |
| 1400–1799 | 510K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 254K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,280 |
Master games
- Kramnik, V. – Caruana, F.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – So, W.
- Carlsen, M. – Grischuk, A.
- Fontaine, R. – Carlsen, M.
- Alekseev, E. – Grischuk, A.
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: Schlechter Variation (ECO C00, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Bd3 (3 moves).
In 1,713,654 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.9%, Black 44.6% and 5.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…dxe4, 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: Schlechter Variation
The most played answer, 3…dxe4, also scores best for Black: 48.7%, with Black winning 45.5% and White 48.0% of 678K games. Of the main answers, 3…c5 scores lowest: 46.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…dxe4.
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
Popularity by year
The French Defense: Schlechter Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.074% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.045%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.045% | 15,932 |
| 2017 | 0.061% | 33,460 |
| 2018 | 0.063% | 49,707 |
| 2019 | 0.061% | 75,868 |
| 2020 | 0.069% | 200,626 |
| 2021 | 0.059% | 232,353 |
| 2022 | 0.062% | 232,595 |
| 2023 | 0.068% | 254,717 |
| 2024 | 0.07% | 250,831 |
| 2025 | 0.074% | 256,692 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.076% | 83,234 |
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: Schlechter Variation (C00)”. Lichess data as of 20 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-schlechter-variation