French Defense: Winawer Variation, Warsaw Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
70,026 games: White 44.4% / Draw 5.1% / Black 50.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 34,28234K | ||
| 15,25815K | ||
| 10,88011K | ||
| 3,9923,992 | ||
| 2,5442,544 | ||
| 1,0891,089 | ||
| 405405 | ||
| 352352 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.74 White is better
Best play: 8. Bd3 f5 9. exf6 Rxf6 10. Bg5 Rf7 11. Qh5 g6 12. Qd1 Nbc6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Warsaw Variation (ECO C18, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 O-O (7 moves).
In 70,026 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.4%, Black 50.5% and 5.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. Bd3, in 49% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Warsaw Variation
The most played answer, 8. Bd3, also scores best for White: 50.1%, with White winning 47.2% and Black 47.0% of 34K games. Of the main answers, 8. Bh6 scores lowest: 38.2%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8. Bd3.
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, Warsaw Variation (C18)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-winawer-variation-warsaw-variation