- ECO code
- C18
- Moves
- 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3
- Family
- French Defense
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 456
- 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. 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 456 games on this line — the 225th 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 127 games. An average game here lasts 44 moves.
White wins 43% of those games, 31% 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...Ne7, played in 302 games, followed by 6...Qc7 (64) and 6...Qa5 (54). 6...Ne7 leads into French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation (C18). After 6...Ne7 White scores 39% and Black 28%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Caruana,F (32 games); on the Black side, Kortschnoj, Viktor (33).
1 named variation branch off this position and have their own page here, among them French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation (C18).
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Results in master games
- White 43% (198)
- Draws 31% (141)
- Black 26% (117)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6...Ne7 | 302 | 39/33/28 | French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation (C18) |
| 6...Qc7 | 64 | 57/20/23 | — |
| 6...Qa5 | 54 | 57/26/17 | — |
| 6...Nc6 | 36 | 39/36/25 | — |
Variations from this position
- Winawer Variation, Advance Variation (C18) · 6...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
- French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation · 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 · 535 games
Played most often by
As White
- Caruana,F 32
- Karjakin,Sergey 29
- Nepomniachtchi,I 20
As Black
- Kortschnoj, Viktor 33
- Rapport,R 24
- Grischuk,A 19
Games per decade
- 1930s 4
- 1940s 16
- 1950s 11
- 1960s 32
- 1970s 28
- 1980s 22
- 1990s 49
- 2000s 88
- 2010s 79
- 2020s 127
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 |
| 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 |
| Caruana,F | Zierk,S | 1-0 | 2026 | 3rd 3-0 Thu 25th Jun 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. It belongs to the French Defense family.
Is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation good for White or for Black?
In 456 master games on this line White wins 43%, 31% 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: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation?
6...Ne7 — played in 302 of the master games on this line, which leads into French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation (C18).
Which grandmasters play the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation?
On the White side Caruana,F (32), Karjakin,Sergey (29), Nepomniachtchi,I (20); on the Black side Kortschnoj, Viktor (33), Rapport,R (24), Grischuk,A (19).
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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