French Defense: Winawer Variation, Positional Variation 7…Qc7 8. h4
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Statistics from Lichess
6,060 games: White 50.0% / Draw 6.3% / Black 43.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,0272,027 | ||
| 1,8741,874 | ||
| 687687 | ||
| 518518 | ||
| 517517 | ||
| 115115 | ||
| 8282 | ||
| 7373 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 13, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.43 White is slightly better
Best play: 8... b6 9. h5 h6 10. Bb5+ Bd7 11. Bd3 Ba4 12. Be3 a6 13. g4
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. Nf3 Qc7 8. h4 (8 moves).
In 6,060 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.0%, Black 43.7% and 6.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…Nbc6, in 33% 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 8. h4
8…b6 scores best for Black: 50.6%, with Black winning 47.0% and White 45.8% of 1,874 games. The most played, 8…Nbc6, scores 44.9% in 2,027 games, and 8…cxd4 scores lowest: 40.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8…b6.
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-5