French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Open System 4. exd5 exd5
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Statistics from Lichess
512,646 games: White 50.6% / Draw 6.5% / Black 42.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 284,188284K | ||
| 115,289115K | ||
| 83,95184K | ||
| 15,49715K | ||
| 7,9307,930 | ||
| 1,7301,730 | ||
| 1,1011,101 | ||
| 999999 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.12 The position is about equal
Best play: 5. Ngf3 Nf6 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. Bxd7+ Nbxd7 8. O-O Be7 9. dxc5 Nxc5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 46% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 47% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 8,164 | |
| 1400–1799 | 115K | |
| 1800–2199 | 333K | |
| 2200 and up | 93K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,565 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Guseinov, G. – Carlsen, M.
- Shirov, A. – Gelfand, B.
- Wei Yi – Ivanchuk, V.
- Svidler, P. – Kramnik, V.
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, Open System (ECO C08, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Open System, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 exd5 (4 moves).
In 512,646 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.6%, Black 42.9% and 6.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Ngf3, in 55% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Open System, Main Line and French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Open System, Advance Line.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 4…exd5
The most played answer, 5. Ngf3, also scores best for White: 55.5%, with White winning 52.1% and Black 41.2% of 284K games. Of the main answers, 5. dxc5 scores lowest: 50.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5. Ngf3.
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
This line has lost ground since 2016: 0.017% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.025% (its peak: 0.033% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.025% | 8,994 |
| 2017 | 0.032% | 17,830 |
| 2018 | 0.033% | 26,205 |
| 2019 | 0.027% | 33,479 |
| 2020 | 0.024% | 71,457 |
| 2021 | 0.019% | 75,859 |
| 2022 | 0.018% | 66,848 |
| 2023 | 0.017% | 64,885 |
| 2024 | 0.017% | 59,785 |
| 2025 | 0.017% | 58,859 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.018% | 19,369 |
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
Variations (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Open System (C08)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-tarrasch-variation-open-system-2