C13Opening
French Defense:Classical Variation, Burn Variation
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4
White to move
- Legal moves
- 44
- Games in the next 4 moves
- 2,021,859
- Different positions among them
- 652,648
- Named lines from here
- 3
It is reached after 8 moves: 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4. It is a line of the French Defense.
White is to move and has 44 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 2,021,859 different games. Those games reach 652,648 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3.1 on average.
The Lichess opening list names 3 further lines after this position, such as Classical Variation (5. Nxe4 Be7).
The same moves can be played in 120 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4, which starts as the Queen's Pawn Game.

Move by move
- 1. e4King's Pawn Game
- 1... e6French Defense
- 2. d4French Defense: Normal Variation
- 2... d5French Defense
- 3. Nc3French Defense: Paulsen Variation
- 3... Nf6French Defense: Classical Variation
- 4. Bg5French Defense, Classical, 4. Bg5
- 4... dxe4French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation
Named lines from here
- Classical VariationC135. Nxe4 Be7
Related openings
- French Defense: Classical VariationC111. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6
- French Defense: McCutcheon VariationC121. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4
- French Defense: Classical Variation, Steinitz VariationC111. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5
- French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard AttackC131. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4
FEN
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