French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
853,641 games: White 47.8% / Draw 6.3% / Black 45.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 666,484666K | ||
| 101,618102K | ||
| 77,76578K | ||
| 3,4393,439 | ||
| 2,7072,707 | ||
| 563563 | ||
| 458458 | ||
| 140140 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.14 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... exd5 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 O-O 8. Ne2 Re8 9. O-O
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 50% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 88K | |
| 1400–1799 | 289K | |
| 1800–2199 | 520K | |
| 2200 and up | 148K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,828 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Aronian, L. – Caruana, F.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Caruana, F.
- Anand, V. – Caruana, F.
- Harikrishna, P. – Caruana, F.
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, Delayed Exchange Variation (ECO C15, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Winawer Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. exd5 (4 moves).
In 853,641 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.8%, Black 45.9% and 6.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…exd5, in 78% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, French Defense: Winawer Variation, Exchange Variation, Canal Attack.
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, Delayed Exchange Variation
The most played answer, 4…exd5, also scores best for Black: 50.4%, with Black winning 47.1% and White 46.3% of 666K games. Of the main answers, 4…Bxc3+ scores lowest: 43.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…exd5.
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, Delayed Exchange Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.031% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.038% (its peak: 0.048% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.038% | 13,701 |
| 2017 | 0.045% | 24,878 |
| 2018 | 0.048% | 37,811 |
| 2019 | 0.043% | 53,896 |
| 2020 | 0.038% | 112,076 |
| 2021 | 0.03% | 119,262 |
| 2022 | 0.03% | 110,971 |
| 2023 | 0.03% | 113,166 |
| 2024 | 0.031% | 110,036 |
| 2025 | 0.031% | 108,884 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.031% | 34,471 |
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, Delayed Exchange Variation (C15)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-winawer-variation-delayed-exchange-variation