French Defense: Winawer Variation, Bogoljubow Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
204,186 games: White 52.5% / Draw 6.1% / Black 41.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 92,31392K | ||
| 52,62953K | ||
| 23,21423K | ||
| 10,98811K | ||
| 10,43710K | ||
| 9,5499,549 | ||
| 2,2852,285 | ||
| 793793 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.21 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... Ne7 6. a3 Bxc3 7. bxc3 Nbc6 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Rb1 f6 10. exf6
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 White: White scores 50% under 1400, 55% at 2200 and up and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2,502 | |
| 1400–1799 | 19K | |
| 1800–2199 | 121K | |
| 2200 and up | 69K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,503 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Duda, J.
- Keymer, V. – Praggnanandhaa, R.
- Mastrovasilis, D. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Navara, D. – Bartel, M.
- Erdogmus, Y. K. – Aronian, L.
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: Winawer Variation, Bogoljubow Variation (ECO C17, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. Bd2 (5 moves).
In 204,186 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.5%, Black 41.4% and 6.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…cxd4, in 45% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, French Defense: Winawer Variation, Bogoljubow Variation, Icelandic Defense.
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: Winawer Variation, Bogoljubow Variation
5…Ne7 scores best for Black: 48.1%, with Black winning 44.4% and White 48.2% of 53K games. The most played answer, 5…cxd4, scores lowest: 42.6% in 92K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…Ne7.
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: Winawer Variation, Bogoljubow Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.007% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.012% (its peak: 0.015% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.012% | 4,334 |
| 2017 | 0.014% | 7,881 |
| 2018 | 0.015% | 11,984 |
| 2019 | 0.012% | 14,384 |
| 2020 | 0.0099% | 28,960 |
| 2021 | 0.0071% | 27,746 |
| 2022 | 0.0064% | 24,199 |
| 2023 | 0.0067% | 25,365 |
| 2024 | 0.0067% | 23,995 |
| 2025 | 0.007% | 24,299 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0068% | 7,487 |
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 (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Winawer Variation, Bogoljubow Variation (C17)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-winawer-variation-bogoljubow-variation