French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line
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Statistics from Lichess
24,820 games: White 51.7% / Draw 4.4% / Black 43.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 11,16611K | ||
| 4,4984,498 | ||
| 4,4624,462 | ||
| 2,8092,809 | ||
| 1,2731,273 | ||
| 102102 | ||
| 9696 | ||
| 9292 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.88 White is better
Best play: 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. e5 Nd5 9. a4 Nc6 10. Nbd2 Qc7 11. axb5 axb5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line (ECO C00, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: St. George Defense, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 a6 3. Nf3 b5 4. Bd3 c5 5. c3 Bb7 6. O-O Nf6 (6 moves).
In 24,820 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.7%, Black 43.9% and 4.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Re1, in 45% 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: St. George Defense, Traditional Line
7. e5 scores best for White: 55.4%, with White winning 53.5% and Black 42.6% of 4,462 games. The most played, 7. Re1, scores 54.7% in 11K games, and 7. Bg5 scores lowest: 51.0%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. dxc5.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line (C00)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-st-george-defense-traditional-line