French Defense: Winawer Variation, Winckelmann-Reimer Gambit
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
44,337 games: White 56.0% / Draw 4.4% / Black 39.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 25,59226K | ||
| 10,26010K | ||
| 3,3193,319 | ||
| 1,5911,591 | ||
| 806806 | ||
| 570570 | ||
| 567567 | ||
| 458458 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.66 Black is slightly better
Best play: 6... c5 7. Rb1 Nd7 8. Qe2 exf3 9. Qxf3 Ngf6 10. Bd3 O-O 11. Nh3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Winckelmann-Reimer Gambit (ECO C15, Open Games) is a gambit in the French Defense: Winawer Variation, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 dxe4 6. f3 (6 moves).
In 44,337 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 56.0%, Black 39.6% and 4.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…exf3, in 58% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Winckelmann-Reimer Gambit
6…c5 scores best for Black: 60.7%, with Black winning 58.2% and White 36.7% of 3,319 games. The most played answer, 6…exf3, scores lowest: 35.5% in 26K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…c5.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: Winawer Variation, Winckelmann-Reimer Gambit (C15)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-winawer-variation-winckelmann-reimer-gambit