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C11Opening

French Defense:Classical Variation

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6

a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1

White to move

Legal moves
39
Games in the next 4 moves
1,524,075
Different positions among them
491,950
Named lines from here
50

See it on the mapOn the opening map

It is reached after 6 moves: 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6. It is a line of the French Defense.

White is to move and has 39 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 1,524,075 different games. Those games reach 491,950 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3.1 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 50 further lines after this position, such as Steinitz Variation (4. e5) and Classical, 4. Bg5 (4. Bg5).

The same moves can be played in 36 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6, which starts as the Queen's Pawn Game.

Map of every game of the next four moves after the French Defense: Classical Variation
Every game of the next four moves from this position, as the map draws it. Each ring is one more move; the outer ring holds all 1,524,075 games.

Move by move

  1. 1. e4King's Pawn Game
  2. 1... e6French Defense
  3. 2. d4French Defense: Normal Variation
  4. 2... d5French Defense
  5. 3. Nc3French Defense: Paulsen Variation
  6. 3... Nf6French Defense: Classical Variation

Named lines from here

Related openings

FEN

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