- ECO code
- C17
- Moves
- 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3
- Family
- French Defense
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 535
- Average game length
- 44 moves
- Years covered
- 1924–2026
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation is the opening filed under ECO code C17, reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3. It belongs to the French Defense family and is known as the Winawer Variation, Advance Variation; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 535 games on this line — the 198th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1924 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 150 games. An average game here lasts 44 moves.
White wins 44% of those games, 31% end in a draw, and Black wins 25%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores worse here by 3 percentage points.
From this position the most popular move is 5...Bxc3+, played in 456 games, followed by 5...Ba5 (72) and 5...cxd4 (6). After 5...Bxc3+ White scores 43% and Black 26%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Caruana,F (33 games); on the Black side, Kortschnoj, Viktor (38).
2 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation (C18); French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation (C18).
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 44% (239)
- Draws 31% (164)
- Black 25% (132)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5...Bxc3+ | 456 | 43/31/26 | — |
| 5...Ba5 | 72 | 51/31/18 | — |
| 5...cxd4 | 6 | 50/17/33 | — |
| 5...Qa5 | 1 | 100/0/0 | — |
Variations from this position
- Winawer Variation, Advance Variation (C18) · 5...Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 · 456 games
- Winawer Variation, Advance Variation (C18) · 5...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
- 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: Winawer Variation · 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 · 1,129 games
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation · 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 · 855 games
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation · 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 · 592 games
Played most often by
As White
- Caruana,F 33
- Karjakin,Sergey 30
- Nepomniachtchi,I 24
As Black
- Kortschnoj, Viktor 38
- Rapport,R 24
- Botvinnik, Mikhail 23
Games per decade
- 1920s 2
- 1930s 5
- 1940s 18
- 1950s 17
- 1960s 36
- 1970s 28
- 1980s 25
- 1990s 59
- 2000s 102
- 2010s 93
- 2020s 150
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caruana,F | Dudin,Gleb | 1-0 | 2026 | Chess.com Open PlayIn2 |
| Rustamov,Rustam | So,W | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 21st Apr 2026 |
| Caruana,F | Papasimakopoulos,Alexandros | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Titled Tue 28th Apr 2026 |
| Murzin,Volodar | Aronian,L | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Chess.com Open PlayIn4 |
| Nepomniachtchi,I | Korshunov,Sergey And. | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 13th Jan 2026 |
| Postnikov,Artem | Caruana,F | 0-1 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 4th Jun 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code C17, reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3. It belongs to the French Defense family.
Is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation good for White or for Black?
In 535 master games on this line White wins 44%, 31% are drawn and Black wins 25%. 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: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation?
5...Bxc3+ — played in 456 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation?
On the White side Caruana,F (33), Karjakin,Sergey (30), Nepomniachtchi,I (24); on the Black side Kortschnoj, Viktor (38), Rapport,R (24), Botvinnik, Mikhail (23).
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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