- ECO code
- C15
- Moves
- 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4
- Family
- French Defense
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 1,129
- Average game length
- 43 moves
- Years covered
- 1862–2026
French Defense: Winawer Variation is the opening filed under ECO code C15, reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4. It belongs to the French Defense family and is known as the Winawer Variation; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 1,129 games on this line — the 103rd most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1862 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 288 games. An average game here lasts 43 moves.
White wins 41% of those games, 32% 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 4.e5, played in 855 games, followed by 4.exd5 (123) and 4.Ne2 (61). 4.e5 leads into French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation. After 4.e5 White scores 43% and Black 26%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Caruana,F (47 games); on the Black side, Kortschnoj, Viktor (62).
5 named variations branch off this position and have their own page here, among them French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation; French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation; French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance 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 41% (467)
- Draws 32% (357)
- Black 27% (305)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.e5 | 855 | 43/31/26 | French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation |
| 4.exd5 | 123 | 36/31/33 | — |
| 4.Ne2 | 61 | 37/33/30 | — |
| 4.a3 | 38 | 40/39/21 | — |
| 4.Bd3 | 30 | 30/40/30 | — |
| 4.Bd2 | 12 | 50/17/33 | — |
| 4.Qd3 | 9 | 45/11/44 | — |
| 4.Qg4 | 1 | 100/0/0 | — |
Variations from this position
- Advance Variation · 4.e5 · 855 games
- Advance Variation · 4.e5 c5 · 592 games
- Advance Variation · 4.e5 c5 5.a3 · 535 games
- Advance Variation · 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 · 456 games
- Advance Variation · 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
- 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
Played most often by
As White
- Caruana,F 47
- Karjakin,Sergey 41
- Spassky, Boris V 38
As Black
- Kortschnoj, Viktor 62
- Petrosian, Tigran V 46
- Bronstein, David I 43
Games per decade
- 1860s 4
- 1870s 4
- 1880s 1
- 1900s 3
- 1910s 2
- 1920s 33
- 1930s 35
- 1940s 34
- 1950s 61
- 1960s 73
- 1970s 63
- 1980s 74
- 1990s 116
- 2000s 165
- 2010s 173
- 2020s 288
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rustamov,Rustam | Nakamura,Hi | 0-1 | 2026 | 1st 3-0 Thu 5th Mar 2026 |
| 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 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code C15, reached after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4. It belongs to the French Defense family.
Is the French Defense: Winawer Variation good for White or for Black?
In 1,129 master games on this line White wins 41%, 32% 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: Winawer Variation?
4.e5 — played in 855 of the master games on this line, which leads into French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation.
Which grandmasters play the French Defense: Winawer Variation?
On the White side Caruana,F (47), Karjakin,Sergey (41), Spassky, Boris V (38); on the Black side Kortschnoj, Viktor (62), Petrosian, Tigran V (46), Bronstein, David I (43).
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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