French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Guimard Defense, Main Line
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Statistics from Lichess
180,687 games: White 47.1% / Draw 6.3% / Black 46.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 159,167159K | ||
| 13,86014K | ||
| 5,5985,598 | ||
| 1,3621,362 | ||
| 532532 | ||
| 4848 | ||
| 3434 | ||
| 2626 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.78 White is better
Best play: 5. e5 Nd7 6. Nb3 Be7 7. Bb5 a5 8. c3 f6 9. exf6 Bxf6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for Black: Black scores 45% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 41% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 4,824 | |
| 1400–1799 | 13K | |
| 1800–2199 | 75K | |
| 2200 and up | 97K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,739 |
Master games
- Svidler, P. – Aronian, L.
- Giri, A. – Nakamura, H.
- Movsesian, S. – Rapport, R.
- Stripunsky, A. – Nakamura, H.
- Ni, H. – Zhang, P.
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: Tarrasch Variation, Guimard Defense, Main Line (ECO C04, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Guimard Defense, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. Ngf3 Nf6 (4 moves).
In 180,687 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.1%, Black 46.6% and 6.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. e5, in 88% 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, Guimard Defense, Main Line
5. Bd3 scores best for White: 53.1%, with White winning 49.8% and Black 43.6% of 14K games. The most played answer, 5. e5, scores lowest: 50.0% in 159K games. Stockfish's first choice is 5. e5.
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
Popularity by year
The French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Guimard Defense, Main Line peaked in 2018 at 0.011% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.0074% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0076% | 2,728 |
| 2017 | 0.0096% | 5,277 |
| 2018 | 0.011% | 8,307 |
| 2019 | 0.0092% | 11,457 |
| 2020 | 0.0083% | 24,346 |
| 2021 | 0.0063% | 24,660 |
| 2022 | 0.0059% | 22,283 |
| 2023 | 0.006% | 22,683 |
| 2024 | 0.0063% | 22,737 |
| 2025 | 0.0074% | 25,635 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0069% | 7,621 |
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: Tarrasch Variation, Guimard Defense, Main Line (C04)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-tarrasch-variation-guimard-defense-main-line