French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Botvinnik Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
34,795 games: White 48.9% / Draw 6.6% / Black 44.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 21,49921K | ||
| 4,2054,205 | ||
| 3,0873,087 | ||
| 2,6492,649 | ||
| 1,0161,016 | ||
| 996996 | ||
| 402402 | ||
| 394394 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.12 White is better
Best play: 7. h4 Ba6 8. Bxa6 Nxa6 9. Ne2 b5 10. Rh3 b4 11. Kf1 bxc3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Botvinnik Variation (ECO C05, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Closed Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 b6 (6 moves).
In 34,795 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.9%, Black 44.5% and 6.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Ne2, in 62% 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: Tarrasch Variation, Botvinnik Variation
7. f4 scores best for White: 52.8%, with White winning 49.3% and Black 43.8% of 2,649 games. The most played, 7. Ne2, scores 52.8% in 21K games, and 7. Qe2 scores lowest: 48.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. h4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Botvinnik Variation (C05)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-tarrasch-variation-botvinnik-variation