- ECO code
- C18
- Moves
- 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7
- Family
- French Defense
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 302
- Average game length
- 44 moves
- Years covered
- 1934–2026
French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation is the opening filed under ECO code C18, reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7. It belongs to the French Defense family and is known as the Winawer Variation, Advance Variation; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 302 games on this line — the 307th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1934 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 64 games. An average game here lasts 44 moves.
White wins 39% of those games, 33% end in a draw, and Black wins 28%. That is close to the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%).
From this position the most popular move is 7.Qg4, played in 145 games, followed by 7.Nf3 (67) and 7.h4 (55). After 7.Qg4 White scores 42% and Black 28%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Caruana,F (16 games); on the Black side, Kortschnoj, Viktor (32).
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Results in master games
- White 39% (117)
- Draws 33% (101)
- Black 28% (84)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.Qg4 | 145 | 42/30/28 | — |
| 7.Nf3 | 67 | 33/42/25 | — |
| 7.h4 | 55 | 38/35/27 | — |
| 7.a4 | 34 | 36/29/35 | — |
| 7.Bd3 | 1 | 0/100/0 | — |
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
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation · 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 · 535 games
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation · 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 · 456 games
Played most often by
As White
- Caruana,F 16
- Karjakin,Sergey 16
- Spassky, Boris V 15
As Black
- Kortschnoj, Viktor 32
- Grischuk,A 19
- Nepomniachtchi,I 16
Games per decade
- 1930s 4
- 1940s 13
- 1950s 7
- 1960s 21
- 1970s 21
- 1980s 20
- 1990s 40
- 2000s 62
- 2010s 50
- 2020s 64
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 |
| Postnikov,Artem | Caruana,F | 0-1 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 4th Jun 2026 |
| Xiao,Tong(QD) | Aronian,L | 0-1 | 2026 | FIDE World Rapid Team |
| Anton Guijarro,D | So,W | 0-1 | 2026 | Chess.com Open PlayIn4 |
| Nepomniachtchi,I | Aimdilokwong,Alec D | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 12th May 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code C18, reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7. It belongs to the French Defense family.
Is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation good for White or for Black?
In 302 master games on this line White wins 39%, 33% are drawn and Black wins 28%. 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?
7.Qg4 — played in 145 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation?
On the White side Caruana,F (16), Karjakin,Sergey (16), Spassky, Boris V (15); on the Black side Kortschnoj, Viktor (32), Grischuk,A (19), Nepomniachtchi,I (16).
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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