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French Defense win rate

White scored 50.5% (margin 0.3 points) in 102,129 rated games of the French Defense, ECO C00, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 3 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 6.3% of all games.

48.3%
47.3%
  • White wins 48.3%
  • Draws 4.4%
  • Black wins 47.3%

102,129 games

How often does White win in the French Defense?

White won 48.3% of the 102,129 games, 4.4% were drawn and Black won 47.3%. White's score of 50.5% is lower than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 1.4 points, more than the margin of 0.3 points.

Results of 102,129 French Defense games, 1 September 2026.
ResultGamesShare
White wins49,29648.3%
Draws4,4794.4%
Black wins48,35447.3%

Does the French Defense score differently at different ratings?

White's score is highest at 2000 and above (51.2%) and lowest at under 1200 (49.5%). That spread of 1.7 points is inside the two margins added together, so the data show no clear difference between the bands.

Players rated 2000 and above choose the French Defense most often relative to their other openings, in 7.0 percent of their games.

White's score in the French Defense by the lower rating of the two players, 1 September 2026.
Rating bandGamesShare of the bandWhite scoreMargin (points)
under 120013,6005.0%49.5%0.8
1200 to 159935,9856.2%50.5%0.5
1600 to 199941,6356.9%50.5%0.5
2000 and above10,9097.0%51.2%0.9

How does the French Defense do in blitz, rapid and classical?

The time control changes who tends to win, because the clock matters more in faster games. Rows with fewer than 1,500 games are left out.

White's score in the French Defense by time control, 1 September 2026.
Time controlGamesWhite scoreMargin (points)
Blitz77,59850.5%0.3
Rapid23,81550.2%0.6

What are the most played lines of the French Defense?

The most played named line is the Exchange Variation, with 17,815 games and a White score of 50.8%. The table lists the ten most played lines that reached 300 games; a line below that is counted in the last row.

Named lines of the French Defense, most played first, 1 September 2026.
LineGamesWhite scoreMargin (points)
Exchange Variation17,81550.8%0.7
Knight Variation14,01050.1%0.8
Normal Variation8,33652.4%1.1
Advance Variation8,11049.8%1.1
La Bourdonnais Variation4,01950.3%1.5
Advance Variation, Nimzowitsch System3,15947.6%1.7
Advance Variation, Paulsen Attack2,97548.5%1.8
Queen's Knight2,91750.0%1.8
King's Indian Attack2,85351.0%1.8
Steinitz Attack1,84551.1%2.2
Main line and less played lines14,48749.6%0.8

How were these opening statistics measured?

Rated Blitz, Rapid and Classical games on 1 September 2026 between players within 100 rating points, banded by the lower rating. A score is wins plus half the draws, with a 95 percent margin. The hub page explains the method in full.

Frequently asked questions

What is the win rate of the French Defense?

White won 48.3%, drew 4.4% and lost 47.3% of 102,129 games, a White score of 50.5% with a margin of 0.3 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.

Is the French Defense good for White?

At these ratings White's score was lower than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 1.4 points, more than the margin of 0.3 points. A difference of a point or two is small, and the side that picks an opening also picks which games reach it, so the number describes what happened at these ratings and is not a ruling on the opening.

What is the most popular line of the French Defense?

The Exchange Variation was the most played named line, with 17,815 games, which is 17.4% of the French Defense games.

Sources

Related guides and tools

Last updated 2026-10-22.

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