French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Open System, Euwe-Keres Line
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Statistics from Lichess
628,375 games: White 50.7% / Draw 6.3% / Black 43.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 287,567288K | ||
| 206,572207K | ||
| 64,55465K | ||
| 32,65333K | ||
| 12,87513K | ||
| 9,9629,962 | ||
| 7,5007,500 | ||
| 1,7061,706 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 11, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... cxd4 5. exd5 Qxd5 6. Bc4 Qd6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Nb3 Nc6 9. Nbxd4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 52% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 57% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 23K | |
| 1400–1799 | 154K | |
| 1800–2199 | 360K | |
| 2200 and up | 164K | |
| Masters, over the board | 6,679 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Caruana, F.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Ding Liren
- Kasparov, G. – Bareev, E.
- Kasparov, G. – Bareev, E.
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, Euwe-Keres Line (ECO C07, 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. Ngf3 (4 moves).
In 628,375 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.7%, Black 43.0% and 6.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nc6, in 46% 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, Open System, Euwe-Keres Line
4…Nf6 scores best for Black: 48.8%, with Black winning 45.8% and White 48.2% of 65K games. The most played, 4…Nc6, scores 45.8% in 288K games, and 4…dxe4 scores lowest: 39.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 4…cxd4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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, Open System, Euwe-Keres Line peaked in 2018 at 0.033% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.026% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.023% | 8,107 |
| 2017 | 0.03% | 16,769 |
| 2018 | 0.033% | 25,731 |
| 2019 | 0.029% | 35,707 |
| 2020 | 0.025% | 71,954 |
| 2021 | 0.021% | 83,242 |
| 2022 | 0.021% | 79,835 |
| 2023 | 0.024% | 90,284 |
| 2024 | 0.024% | 87,069 |
| 2025 | 0.026% | 89,123 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.027% | 29,413 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Open System, Euwe-Keres Line (C07)”. Lichess data as of 11 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-tarrasch-variation-open-system-euwe-keres-line