Tree path 8 levels French Defense › Normal Variation › French Defense › Paulsen Variation › French Defense: Classical Variation › Steinitz Variation › French Defense: Steinitz Variation › Boleslavsky Variation
French Defense: Steinitz Variation, Boleslavsky Variation
Overview
French Defense: Steinitz Variation, Boleslavsky Variation is a named branch in the Open Games group of chess theory, classified under ECO C11.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
The line arises from 13 plies — specifically the moves 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from French Defense: Steinitz Variation, part of the broader French Defense system.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- C11
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 13
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
1,145,702 games · White 49.2% / Draw 5.8% / Black 45.1%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Qb6 | 379,461 | |
| cxd4 | 298,705 | |
| a6 | 228,050 | |
| Be7 | 161,261 | |
| b6 | 16,664 | |
| f6 | 14,530 | |
| c4 | 9,775 | |
| h6 | 8,208 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:48:09
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