Caissa Codex
C11

French Defense: Steinitz Variation 5…Nfd7 6. a3

Chess diagram: French Defense: Steinitz Variation after 6. a3

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Statistics from Lichess

9,417 games: White 41.7% / Draw 4.7% / Black 53.6%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
8,3428,342
395395
219219
219219
9090
3737
3030
3030

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026

Engine evaluation

0.00 The position is about equal

Best play: 6... c5 7. Ne2 cxd4 8. Nexd4 Nc6 9. Bf4 Qb6 10. b4 Be7 11. Rc1

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

French Defense: Steinitz Variation (ECO C11, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Steinitz Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 a6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7 6. a3 (6 moves).

In 9,417 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 41.7%, Black 53.6% and 4.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…c5, in 89% of those games.

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Other lines from the same position

Instead of 6. a3, the position after French Defense: Steinitz Variation also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Steinitz Variation (C11)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-steinitz-variation-4

https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-steinitz-variation-4