French Defense: Steinitz Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
2,557,271 games: White 43.8% / Draw 4.4% / Black 51.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,553,8421.6M | ||
| 321,285321K | ||
| 184,739185K | ||
| 121,825122K | ||
| 103,388103K | ||
| 77,23977K | ||
| 40,98241K | ||
| 24,64925K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 4, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.18 The position is about equal
Best play: 2... c5 3. c3 d6 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. exd6 Bxd6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 50% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3.6M | |
| 1400–1799 | 3.7M | |
| 1800–2199 | 953K | |
| 2200 and up | 37K | |
| Masters, over the board | 57 |
Master games
- Markovic, M. – Sedlak, N.
- Mestrovic, Z. – Dizdar, G.
- Sedlak, N. – Muckle, J.
- Tishin, P. – Nalivajko, E.
- Golubka, P. – Gritsak, O.
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 26, 2026
Overview
French Defense: Steinitz Attack (ECO C00, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. e5 (2 moves).
In 2,557,271 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 43.8%, Black 51.8% and 4.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…d5, in 61% 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: Steinitz Attack
The most played answer, 2…d5, also scores best for Black: 55.3%, with Black winning 53.0% and White 42.5% of 1.6M games. Of the main answers, 2…d6 scores lowest: 53.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 2…c5.
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: Steinitz Attack is played less than half as often as in 2016: 0.088% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.18%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.18% | 63,725 |
| 2017 | 0.13% | 73,895 |
| 2018 | 0.11% | 87,231 |
| 2019 | 0.11% | 135,286 |
| 2020 | 0.1% | 303,585 |
| 2021 | 0.1% | 409,530 |
| 2022 | 0.096% | 360,861 |
| 2023 | 0.094% | 354,533 |
| 2024 | 0.09% | 323,818 |
| 2025 | 0.088% | 306,873 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.085% | 92,893 |
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: Steinitz Attack (C00)”. Lichess data as of 4 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-steinitz-attack