- ECO code
- C11
- Moves
- 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3
- Family
- French Defense
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 582
- Average game length
- 44 moves
- Years covered
- 1907–2026
French Defense: Steinitz Variation is the opening filed under ECO code C11, reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3. It belongs to the French Defense family and is known as the Steinitz Variation; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 582 games on this line — the 189th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1907 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 223 games. An average game here lasts 44 moves.
White wins 40% of those games, 34% end in a draw, and Black wins 26%. That is close to the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%).
From this position the most popular move is 6...Nc6, played in 527 games, followed by 6...Be7 (29) and 6...a6 (12). After 6...Nc6 White scores 41% and Black 25%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Hou Yifan (35 games); on the Black side, Erigaisi,Arjun (34).
1 named variation branch off this position and have their own page here, among them French Defense: Steinitz Variation, Boleslavsky 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% (235)
- Draws 34% (197)
- Black 26% (150)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6...Nc6 | 527 | 41/34/25 | — |
| 6...Be7 | 29 | 41/28/31 | — |
| 6...a6 | 12 | 50/25/25 | — |
| 6...Qb6 | 11 | 27/27/46 | — |
| 6...cxd4 | 2 | 50/50/0 | — |
| 6...b6 | 1 | 0/100/0 | — |
Variations from this position
- Boleslavsky Variation · 6...Nc6 7.Be3 · 512 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
- French Defense: Classical Variation, Steinitz Variation · 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 · 731 games
Played most often by
As White
- Hou Yifan 35
- Karjakin,Sergey 34
- Caruana,F 28
As Black
- Erigaisi,Arjun 34
- Kortschnoj, Viktor 21
- Shirov,A 21
Games per decade
- 1900s 2
- 1930s 1
- 1960s 4
- 1970s 1
- 1980s 15
- 1990s 36
- 2000s 103
- 2010s 197
- 2020s 223
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daneshvar,Bardiya | Aronian,L | 1-0 | 2026 | Chess.com Open PlayIn2 |
| Vachier Lagrave,M | Erigaisi,Arjun | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 24th Feb 2026 |
| Hou Yifan | Lu,Miaoyi | 0-1 | 2026 | TCh-CHN DivA Finals 2025 |
| Nosach,Roman Al | Erigaisi,Arjun | 0-1 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 26th Mar 2026 |
| Firouzja,Alireza | Wan Yunguo | 1-0 | 2026 | FIDE World Bl Team Pool C |
| Grischuk,A | Szpar,Milosz | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 10th Feb 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the French Defense: Steinitz Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code C11, reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3. It belongs to the French Defense family.
Is the French Defense: Steinitz Variation good for White or for Black?
In 582 master games on this line White wins 40%, 34% are drawn and Black wins 26%. 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: Steinitz Variation?
6...Nc6 — played in 527 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the French Defense: Steinitz Variation?
On the White side Hou Yifan (35), Karjakin,Sergey (34), Caruana,F (28); on the Black side Erigaisi,Arjun (34), Kortschnoj, Viktor (21), Shirov,A (21).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
Try this line on the board
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