- ECO code
- C00
- Moves
- 1.e4 e6 2.d4
- Family
- French Defense
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 5,579
- Average game length
- 43 moves
- Years covered
- 1848–2026
French Defense: Normal Variation is the opening filed under ECO code C00, reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4. It belongs to the French Defense family and is known as the Normal Variation; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 5,579 games on this line — the 25th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1848 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 1,843 games. An average game here lasts 43 moves.
White wins 40% of those games, 33% end in a draw, and Black wins 27%. That is close to the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%).
From this position the most popular move is 2...d5, played in 5,533 games, followed by 2...b6 (15) and 2...g6 (8). 2...d5 leads into French Defense. After 2...d5 White scores 40% and Black 27%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Shirov,A (255 games); on the Black side, Erigaisi,Arjun (294).
23 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them French Defense; French Defense: Paulsen Variation; French Defense: Classical 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 40% (2,213)
- Draws 33% (1,833)
- Black 27% (1,533)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2...d5 | 5,533 | 40/33/27 | French Defense |
| 2...b6 | 15 | 47/20/33 | — |
| 2...g6 | 8 | 62/0/38 | — |
| 2...a6 | 7 | 14/29/57 | — |
| 2...c5 | 5 | 40/20/40 | — |
| 2...Ke7 | 4 | 0/0/100 | — |
| 2...d6 | 3 | 33/0/67 | — |
| 2...Bb4+ | 1 | 100/0/0 | — |
Variations from this position
- French Defense · 2...d5 · 5,533 games
- French Defense: Paulsen Variation · 2...d5 3.Nc3 · 3,079 games
- French Defense: Classical Variation · 2...d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 · 1,548 games
- French Defense: Tarrasch Variation · 2...d5 3.Nd2 · 1,173 games
- French Defense: Winawer Variation · 2...d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 · 1,129 games
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation · 2...d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 · 855 games
- French Defense: Advance Variation · 2...d5 3.e5 · 816 games
- French Defense: Advance Variation · 2...d5 3.e5 c5 · 793 games
- French Defense: Classical Variation · 2...d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 · 756 games
- French Defense: Advance Variation · 2...d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 · 747 games
- French Defense: Classical Variation, Steinitz Variation · 2...d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 · 731 games
- French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Open System · 2...d5 3.Nd2 c5 · 635 games
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation · 2...d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 · 592 games
- French Defense: Steinitz Variation · 2...d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 · 582 games
- French Defense: Advance Variation · 2...d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 · 565 games
- French Defense: Advance Variation, Paulsen Attack · 2...d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 · 561 games
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation · 2...d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 · 535 games
- French Defense: Steinitz Variation, Boleslavsky Variation · 2...d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 · 512 games
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation · 2...d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 · 456 games
- French Defense: Exchange Variation · 2...d5 3.exd5 · 413 games
- French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation · 2...d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 · 406 games
- French Defense: Rubinstein Variation · 2...d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 · 307 games
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation · 2...d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 · 302 games
How the position is reached
- King's Pawn Game · 1.e4 · 62,859 games
- French Defense · 1.e4 e6 · 6,176 games
Played most often by
As White
- Shirov,A 255
- Caruana,F 160
- Vachier Lagrave,M 159
As Black
- Erigaisi,Arjun 294
- Kortschnoj, Viktor 269
- Grischuk,A 152
Games per decade
- 1840s 1
- 1850s 13
- 1860s 19
- 1870s 21
- 1880s 23
- 1890s 48
- 1900s 104
- 1910s 94
- 1920s 131
- 1930s 114
- 1940s 98
- 1950s 133
- 1960s 191
- 1970s 203
- 1980s 224
- 1990s 475
- 2000s 888
- 2010s 956
- 2020s 1,843
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galchenko,Matvey | Caruana,F | 0-1 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 16th Apr 2026 |
| Rustamov,Rustam | Nakamura,Hi | 0-1 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 5th Mar 2026 |
| Galchenko,Matvey | Nakamura,Hi | 1-0 | 2026 | 2nd 3-0 Thu 12th Feb 2026 |
| Vakhlamov,I | Caruana,F | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 29th Jan 2026 |
| Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son | Erigaisi,Arjun | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 19th May 2026 |
| Vokhidov,Shamsiddin | Erigaisi,Arjun | 1-0 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 12th Mar 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the French Defense: Normal Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code C00, reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4. It belongs to the French Defense family.
Is the French Defense: Normal Variation good for White or for Black?
In 5,579 master games on this line White wins 40%, 33% are drawn and Black wins 27%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is no worse than usual for White than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the French Defense: Normal Variation?
2...d5 — played in 5,533 of the master games on this line, which leads into French Defense.
Which grandmasters play the French Defense: Normal Variation?
On the White side Shirov,A (255), Caruana,F (160), Vachier Lagrave,M (159); on the Black side Erigaisi,Arjun (294), Kortschnoj, Viktor (269), Grischuk,A (152).
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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