- ECO code
- C02
- Moves
- 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3
- Family
- French Defense
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 747
- Average game length
- 44 moves
- Years covered
- 1850–2026
French Defense: Advance Variation is the opening filed under ECO code C02, reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3. It belongs to the French Defense family and is known as the Advance Variation; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 747 games on this line — the 143rd most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1850 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 472 games. An average game here lasts 44 moves.
White wins 48% of those games, 22% end in a draw, and Black wins 30%. That is close to the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%). Draws are less common here than usual, by 13 points.
From this position the most popular move is 4...Nc6, played in 565 games, followed by 4...Qb6 (138) and 4...Bd7 (24). 4...Nc6 leads into French Defense: Advance Variation (C02). After 4...Nc6 White scores 46% and Black 32%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Shirov,A (156 games); on the Black side, Erigaisi,Arjun (56).
2 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them French Defense: Advance Variation (C02); French Defense: Advance Variation, Paulsen Attack.
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Results in master games
- White 48% (358)
- Draws 22% (165)
- Black 30% (224)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4...Nc6 | 565 | 46/22/32 | French Defense: Advance Variation (C02) |
| 4...Qb6 | 138 | 51/24/25 | — |
| 4...Bd7 | 24 | 54/21/25 | — |
| 4...Ne7 | 13 | 62/23/15 | — |
| 4...Qa5 | 4 | 25/50/25 | — |
| 4...b6 | 1 | 100/0/0 | — |
| 4...Be7 | 1 | 100/0/0 | — |
| 4...Nd7 | 1 | 100/0/0 | — |
Variations from this position
- Advance Variation (C02) · 4...Nc6 · 565 games
- Paulsen Attack · 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 · 561 games
How the position is reached
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 · 62,859 games
- French Defense · 1.e4 e6 · 6,176 games
- French Defense: Normal Variation · 1.e4 e6 2.d4 · 5,579 games
- French Defense · 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 · 5,533 games
- French Defense: Advance Variation · 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 · 816 games
- French Defense: Advance Variation · 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 · 793 games
Played most often by
As White
- Shirov,A 156
- Grischuk,A 91
- Firouzja,Alireza 48
As Black
- Erigaisi,Arjun 56
- Shirov,A 27
- Grischuk,A 25
Games per decade
- 1850s 1
- 1890s 5
- 1910s 3
- 1920s 2
- 1930s 1
- 1940s 2
- 1950s 4
- 1960s 3
- 1970s 1
- 1980s 5
- 1990s 42
- 2000s 100
- 2010s 106
- 2020s 472
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galchenko,Matvey | Caruana,F | 0-1 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 16th Apr 2026 |
| Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son | Erigaisi,Arjun | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 19th May 2026 |
| Grischuk,A | Szpar,Milosz | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 13th Jan 2026 |
| Rychagov,Nikita | Shirov,A | 0-1 | 2026 | Coop Saaremaa Rapid 2026 |
| Ambartsumian,Tyhran | So,W | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Titled Tue 28th Apr 2026 |
| Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son | Erigaisi,Arjun | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 3rd 3-0 Thu 26th Feb 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the French Defense: Advance Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code C02, reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3. It belongs to the French Defense family.
Is the French Defense: Advance Variation good for White or for Black?
In 747 master games on this line White wins 48%, 22% are drawn and Black wins 30%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is a slightly better bargain for Black than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the French Defense: Advance Variation?
4...Nc6 — played in 565 of the master games on this line, which leads into French Defense: Advance Variation (C02).
Which grandmasters play the French Defense: Advance Variation?
On the White side Shirov,A (156), Grischuk,A (91), Firouzja,Alireza (48); on the Black side Erigaisi,Arjun (56), Shirov,A (27), Grischuk,A (25).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
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