- ECO code
- C11
- Moves
- 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5
- Family
- French Defense
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 756
- Average game length
- 42 moves
- Years covered
- 1866–2026
French Defense: Classical Variation is the opening filed under ECO code C11, reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5. It belongs to the French Defense family and is known as the Classical Variation; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 756 games on this line — the 140th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1866 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2000s, with 193 games. An average game here lasts 42 moves.
White wins 35% of those games, 35% end in a draw, and Black wins 30%. That is close to the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%).
From this position the most popular move is 4...dxe4, played in 406 games, followed by 4...Be7 (181) and 4...Bb4 (158). 4...dxe4 leads into French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation. After 4...dxe4 White scores 33% and Black 29%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Lasker, Emanuel (29 games); on the Black side, Korchnoi,V (48).
1 named variation branch off this position and have their own page here, among them French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation.
Reading about an opening is not the same as knowing it. Play this line against the Katuranga bot, then let the engine mark your brilliant moves, mistakes and blunders in Analysis — the fastest way to find out which of these moves you actually understand.
Results in master games
- White 35% (270)
- Draws 35% (261)
- Black 30% (225)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4...dxe4 | 406 | 33/38/29 | French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation |
| 4...Be7 | 181 | 43/24/33 | — |
| 4...Bb4 | 158 | 34/36/30 | — |
| 4...h6 | 11 | 55/27/18 | — |
Variations from this position
- Burn Variation · 4...dxe4 · 406 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: Paulsen Variation · 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 · 3,079 games
- French Defense: Classical Variation · 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 · 1,548 games
Played most often by
As White
- Lasker, Emanuel 29
- Spielmann, Rudolf 22
- Shirov,A 21
As Black
- Korchnoi,V 48
- Erigaisi,Arjun 39
- Kortschnoj, Viktor 34
Games per decade
- 1860s 3
- 1870s 9
- 1880s 4
- 1890s 15
- 1900s 47
- 1910s 37
- 1920s 54
- 1930s 29
- 1940s 12
- 1950s 12
- 1960s 31
- 1970s 11
- 1980s 23
- 1990s 66
- 2000s 193
- 2010s 74
- 2020s 136
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vokhidov,Shamsiddin | Erigaisi,Arjun | 1-0 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 12th Mar 2026 |
| Moussard,J | Erigaisi,Arjun | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 23rd Jun 2026 |
| Vachier Lagrave,M | Aronian,L | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Titled Tue 6th Jan 2026 |
| Gharibyan,Mamikon | Erigaisi,Arjun | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 2nd Jun 2026 |
| Tikhonov,Viacheslav | Erigaisi,Arjun | 0-1 | 2026 | 2nd 3-0 Thu 14th May 2026 |
| Bortnyk,Olexandr | Erigaisi,Arjun | 0-1 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 14th May 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code C11, reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5. It belongs to the French Defense family.
Is the French Defense: Classical Variation good for White or for Black?
In 756 master games on this line White wins 35%, 35% 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: Classical Variation?
4...dxe4 — played in 406 of the master games on this line, which leads into French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation.
Which grandmasters play the French Defense: Classical Variation?
On the White side Lasker, Emanuel (29), Spielmann, Rudolf (22), Shirov,A (21); on the Black side Korchnoi,V (48), Erigaisi,Arjun (39), Kortschnoj, Viktor (34).
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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