Tree path 7 levels French Defense › Normal Variation › French Defense › Paulsen Variation › French Defense: Classical Variation › Steinitz Variation › French Defense: Steinitz Variation, Gledhill Attack
- Chess Codex
- French Defense C00
- Normal Variation C00
- French Defense C00
- Paulsen Variation C10
- French Defense: Classical Variation C11
- Steinitz Variation C11
- French Defense: Steinitz Variation, Gledhill Attack C11 you are here
French Defense: Steinitz Variation, Gledhill Attack
Overview
French Defense: Steinitz Variation, Gledhill Attack 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.
It is reached after 9 plies of play, with the move sequence 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Qg4.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from French Defense: Classical Variation, 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
- 9
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
72,870 games · White 50.7% / Draw 3.6% / Black 45.7%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| c5 | 55,414 | |
| a6 | 5,100 | |
| g6 | 3,334 | |
| h5 | 2,944 | |
| f5 | 2,179 | |
| h6 | 1,106 | |
| Nc6 | 843 | |
| f6 | 415 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:01:18
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