French Defense: Winawer Variation, Petrosian Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
77,604 games: White 44.2% / Draw 6.4% / Black 49.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 35,25435K | ||
| 14,66315K | ||
| 10,61111K | ||
| 5,7665,766 | ||
| 5,7365,736 | ||
| 1,7711,771 | ||
| 1,6081,608 | ||
| 1,2511,251 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+1.10 White is better
Best play: 5. h4 b6 6. Qg4 Bf8 7. h5 Ba6 8. Bxa6 Nxa6 9. a3 Nb8
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Petrosian Variation (ECO C16, 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 Qd7 (4 moves).
In 77,604 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.2%, Black 49.4% and 6.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. a3, in 45% 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: Winawer Variation, Petrosian Variation
5. Qg4 scores best for White: 49.7%, with White winning 46.6% and Black 47.1% of 15K games. The most played, 5. a3, scores 46.8% in 35K games, and 5. f4 scores lowest: 43.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. h4.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Winawer Variation, Petrosian Variation (C16)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-winawer-variation-petrosian-variation