Semi-Open · a defense for Black
French Defense: Mediterranean Defense
4/4
1.e4e62.d4Nf6
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
French Defense: Mediterranean Defense1.3M games · White to move
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
42%556k54%
31%408k53%
15%195k55%
3.3%44k58%
1.7%23k50%
1%13k49%
0.4%5.1k50%
0.2%2.8k46%
0.2%2.4k48%
Famous games in this line20 master games
Smagin, Sergey (2585) – Fridman, Daniel (2562)Volkov, Sergey (2630) – Perunovic, Miodrag (2356)Tishin, Petr (2445) – Arbakov, Valentin (2483)Karthik, Venkataraman (2479) – Saravanan, Venkat (2325)Kireev, Sergey (2320) – Edighoffer, Harold (2481)Barclay, Alex (2372) – Perry, William E. (2304)Roques, Pascal (2226) – Cornel, Matei (2357)Jarabinský, Martin (2338) – Baciak, Miloslav (2240)Heroes of this opening Smagin, Sergey · Volkov, Sergey · Tishin, Petr · Saravanan, Venkat
- Family
- French Defense
- Category
- Semi-Open
- First move
- 1.e4
- ECO
- C00
- Line
- 1. e4 e6 2. d4 Nf6
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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