French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation 7. Bd3 Nbc6 8. Nf3
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Statistics from Lichess
27,568 games: White 51.3% / Draw 5.1% / Black 43.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 9,1449,144 | ||
| 6,0066,006 | ||
| 3,4683,468 | ||
| 1,7091,709 | ||
| 1,4661,466 | ||
| 1,3091,309 | ||
| 1,1651,165 | ||
| 928928 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 13, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.23 The position is about equal
Best play: 8... Qa5 9. Bd2 c4 10. Be2 Bd7 11. h4 f6 12. a4 O-O-O 13. Qc1
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, Advance Variation, with Bd3, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Bd3 Nbc6 8. Nf3 (8 moves).
In 27,568 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.3%, Black 43.6% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…Qa5, in 33% of those games.
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How to answer 8. Nf3
The most played answer, 8…Qa5, also scores best for Black: 50.2%, with Black winning 47.5% and White 47.2% of 9,144 games. Of the main answers, 8…Qc7 scores lowest: 41.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8…Qa5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Transpositions
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-4