Tree path 11 levels French Defense › Normal Variation › French Defense › Paulsen Variation › French Defense: Winawer Variation › Advance Variation › French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation › French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation › French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation › French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation › French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation
- Chess Codex
- French Defense C00
- Normal Variation C00
- French Defense C00
- Paulsen Variation C10
- French Defense: Winawer Variation C15
- Advance Variation C16
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation C17
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation C17
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation C18
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation C18
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation C19 you are here
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation
Overview
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation is a named branch in the Open Games group of chess theory, classified under ECO C19.
The Open Games group covers open games — classical 1.e4 e5 openings where both sides contest the centre directly with pawns.
It is reached after 13 plies of play, with the move sequence 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Nf3.
In the opening tree, this line branches off from French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation, part of the broader French Defense system.
It continues primarily into one named line, French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation.
In total, the branch covers 2 sub-variations across all depths.
Use the board to walk through every move, check how the position has scored on Lichess, or take it head-to-head against Stockfish.
- ECO code
- C19
- Group
- Open Games (C)
- Plies
- 13
- Direct variations
- 1
- Total in subtree
- 2
This overview is generated automatically from the opening's metadata. Know this line well? Write a description — submissions are reviewed before publishing.
Statistics from Lichess
129,402 games · White 47.4% / Draw 5.7% / Black 46.9%
| Moves | Games | W / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Nbc6 | 40,030 | |
| b6 | 19,794 | |
| Qc7 | 19,319 | |
| Qa5 | 19,318 | |
| Bd7 | 11,840 | |
| O-O | 6,760 | |
| h6 | 6,206 | |
| c4 | 2,430 |
Source: Lichess Opening Explorer · cached 2026-09-26 02:48:49
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