French Defense: Winawer Variation, Portisch-Hook Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
146,662 games: White 46.8% / Draw 5.7% / Black 47.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 128,886129K | ||
| 7,5817,581 | ||
| 3,7673,767 | ||
| 1,5051,505 | ||
| 1,4111,411 | ||
| 1,1351,135 | ||
| 665665 | ||
| 399399 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 13, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.73 White is better
Best play: 7. Bd2 Qa4 8. h4 Nc6 9. h5 h6 10. Qg4 Kf8 11. Qf4 Qxc2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Portisch-Hook Variation (ECO C18, 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. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qa5 (6 moves).
In 146,662 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.8%, Black 47.5% and 5.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Bd2, in 88% 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, Portisch-Hook Variation
The most played answer, 7. Bd2, also scores best for White: 50.0%, with White winning 47.2% and Black 47.1% of 129K games. Of the main answers, 7. Qd2 scores lowest: 49.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. Bd2.
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, Portisch-Hook Variation (C18)”. Lichess data as of 13 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-winawer-variation-portisch-hook-variation