French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation, with h4 7. h4 Qc7
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Statistics from Lichess
17,939 games: White 50.1% / Draw 5.6% / Black 44.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 9,1349,134 | ||
| French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation | 3,2833,283 | |
| 2,0542,054 | ||
| 1,3331,333 | ||
| 1,1031,103 | ||
| 425425 | ||
| 205205 | ||
| 181181 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 13, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.56 White is slightly better
Best play: 8. Rb1 b6 9. h5 h6 10. Qg4 cxd4 11. Qxg7 Rg8 12. Qxh6 Qxe5+
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation, with h4 (ECO C18, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation, with h4, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. h4 Qc7 (7 moves).
In 17,939 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.1%, Black 44.3% and 5.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. h5, 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 answer 7…Qc7
8. Rb1 scores best for White: 56.4%, with White winning 53.5% and Black 40.6% of 1,103 games. The most played, 8. h5, scores 54.1% in 9,134 games, and 8. Bd2 scores lowest: 52.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8. Rb1.
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation, with h4 (C18)”. Lichess data as of 13 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-winawer-variation-advance-variation-with-h4-2