French Defense: Steinitz Variation, Boleslavsky Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
1,145,702 games: White 49.2% / Draw 5.8% / Black 45.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 379,461379K | ||
| 298,705299K | ||
| 228,050228K | ||
| 161,261161K | ||
| 16,66417K | ||
| 14,53015K | ||
| 9,7759,775 | ||
| 8,2088,208 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.24 The position is about equal
Best play: 7... cxd4 8. Nxd4 Qb6 9. Qd2 Qxb2 10. Rb1 Qa3 11. Bb5 Nxd4 12. Bxd4
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 51% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 58% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 4,912 | |
| 1400–1799 | 126K | |
| 1800–2199 | 679K | |
| 2200 and up | 363K | |
| Masters, over the board | 13K |
Master games
- Karjakin, S. – Carlsen, M.
- Kasparov, G. – Caruana, F.
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Morozevich, A.
- Dominguez Perez, L. – Caruana, F.
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: Steinitz Variation, Boleslavsky Variation (ECO C11, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Steinitz Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 (7 moves).
In 1,145,702 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.2%, Black 45.1% and 5.8% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…Qb6, in 33% 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 Variation, Boleslavsky Variation
7…Be7 scores best for Black: 50.3%, with Black winning 47.6% and White 47.1% of 161K games. The most played answer, 7…Qb6, scores lowest: 46.7% in 379K games. Stockfish's first choice is 7…cxd4.
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 Variation, Boleslavsky Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.067% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.044% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.042% | 14,934 |
| 2017 | 0.056% | 30,745 |
| 2018 | 0.067% | 52,454 |
| 2019 | 0.055% | 69,224 |
| 2020 | 0.054% | 157,451 |
| 2021 | 0.041% | 158,881 |
| 2022 | 0.038% | 142,134 |
| 2023 | 0.04% | 150,104 |
| 2024 | 0.041% | 147,505 |
| 2025 | 0.044% | 151,343 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.047% | 51,550 |
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 Variation, Boleslavsky Variation (C11)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-steinitz-variation-boleslavsky-variation