French Defense:Classical Variation, Steinitz Variation

It is reached after 7 moves: 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5. It is a line of the French Defense.

Black is to move and has 30 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 1,336,759 different games. Those games reach 429,228 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3.1 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 7 further lines after this position, such as Steinitz Variation (4... Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3) and Steinitz Variation (4... Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. dxc5 Nc6).

The same moves can be played in 72 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5, which starts as the Queen's Pawn Game.