French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation 9. Qd2 Bd7
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Statistics from Lichess
3,712 games: White 50.7% / Draw 7.1% / Black 42.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,5661,566 | ||
| 955955 | ||
| 527527 | ||
| 517517 | ||
| 8080 | ||
| 3434 | ||
| 1010 | ||
| 1010 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 3, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.42 White is slightly better
Best play: 10. Ba3 cxd4 11. cxd4 Qxd2+ 12. Kxd2 Nf5 13. Bd3 Nfxd4 14. Nxd4 Nxd4
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. Qd2 Bd7 (9 moves).
In 3,712 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.7%, Black 42.2% and 7.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 10. Bd3, in 42% of those games.
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How to answer 9…Bd7
The most played answer, 10. Bd3, also scores best for White: 55.2%, with White winning 51.5% and Black 41.1% of 1,566 games. Of the main answers, 10. Be2 scores lowest: 50.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 10. Ba3.
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 3 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-winawer-variation-positional-variation-12