French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Open System, Süchting Line
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Statistics from Lichess
698,133 games: White 47.6% / Draw 5.0% / Black 47.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 355,785356K | ||
| 216,115216K | ||
| 40,71041K | ||
| 25,09925K | ||
| 22,65223K | ||
| 19,85220K | ||
| 6,8796,879 | ||
| 3,4023,402 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... dxe4 5. Nxe4 cxd4 6. cxd4 Nf6 7. Bd3 Bd7 8. Nxf6+ Qxf6 9. Nf3
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 49% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 35K | |
| 1400–1799 | 280K | |
| 1800–2199 | 454K | |
| 2200 and up | 50K | |
| Masters, over the board | 193 |
Master games
- Swiercz, D. – Fridman, D.
- Heberla, B. – Vallejo Pons, F.
- Heberla, B. – Socko, B.
- Kornev, A. – Volkov, S.
- Shanava, K. – Barbosa, O.
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, Süchting 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. c3 (4 moves).
In 698,133 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.6%, Black 47.4% and 5.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nc6, in 51% 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, Süchting Line
4…cxd4 scores best for Black: 52.8%, with Black winning 50.1% and White 44.5% of 216K games. The most played, 4…Nc6, scores 49.4% in 356K games, and 4…Nf6 scores lowest: 46.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 4…dxe4.
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, Süchting Line has lost ground since 2016: 0.024% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.034% (its peak: 0.043% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.034% | 12,091 |
| 2017 | 0.041% | 22,642 |
| 2018 | 0.043% | 33,663 |
| 2019 | 0.037% | 45,649 |
| 2020 | 0.031% | 91,777 |
| 2021 | 0.027% | 103,726 |
| 2022 | 0.024% | 91,127 |
| 2023 | 0.024% | 91,507 |
| 2024 | 0.023% | 84,186 |
| 2025 | 0.024% | 83,105 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.024% | 26,853 |
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, Open System, Süchting Line (C07)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-tarrasch-variation-open-system-suchting-line