French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation 9. Bd2 Bd7
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Statistics from Lichess
7,394 games: White 47.8% / Draw 6.3% / Black 45.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,0572,057 | ||
| 1,9091,909 | ||
| 1,4251,425 | ||
| 924924 | ||
| 449449 | ||
| 277277 | ||
| 109109 | ||
| 9898 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 13, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.33 White is slightly better
Best play: 10. Be2 h6 11. Qc1 Qc7 12. h4 Na5 13. O-O Nc4 14. Bf4 Nb6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation (ECO C19, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. a4 Nbc6 8. Nf3 Qa5 9. Bd2 Bd7 (9 moves).
In 7,394 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.8%, Black 45.9% and 6.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 10. Bd3, in 28% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 9…Bd7
10. Bb5 scores best for White: 55.4%, with White winning 51.8% and Black 40.9% of 1,909 games. The most played, 10. Bd3, scores 49.2% in 2,057 games, and 10. c4 scores lowest: 46.6%. Stockfish's first choice is 10. Be2.
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, Positional Variation (C19)”. Lichess data as of 13 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-winawer-variation-positional-variation-10