Semi-Open · a defense for Black
French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Closed Variation, Main Line
15/15
1.e4e62.d4d53.Nd2Nf64.e5Nfd75.Bd3c56.c3Nc67.Ne2cxd48.cxd4
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Closed Variation, Main Line293k games · Black to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
54%158k51%
23%68k43%
8.3%24k41%
6.2%18k40%
1.9%5.5k40%
1.7%5.1k41%
0.9%2.6k48%
0.6%1.7k42%
0.5%1.5k46%
Famous games in this line6.1k master games
Vachier Lagrave, Maxime (2703) – Ponomariov, Ruslan (2744)Adams, Michael (2734) – Shirov, Alexei (2699)Adams, Michael (2755) – Gurevich, Mikhail (2667)Timman, Jan H (2655) – Morozevich, Alexander (2748)Savchenko, Boris (2632) – Ponomariov, Ruslan (2744)Adams, Michael (2720) – Gurevich, Mikhail (2643)Serious Sam, Rybka 2.0 Beta mp (2646) – Jazzled (2714)Meier, Georg (2658) – Navara, David (2687)Heroes of this opening Vachier Lagrave, Maxime · Timman, Jan H · Savchenko, Boris · Adams, Michael
- Family
- French Defense
- Category
- Semi-Open
- First move
- 1.e4
- ECO
- C06
- Line
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ne2 cxd4 8. cxd4
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From the archives
Paris challenged London by correspondence in January 1834; the match took about two years, Paris met 1.e4 with 1...e6, and Paris won. The defence has carried the name ever since. Botvinnik and Korchnoi built careers on its cramped-then-counterpunch character: concede space, then break with ...c5 or ...f6 at the right moment.
Study this opening