French Defense:Exchange Variation

White exchanges on d5 for a symmetrical, quiet position with open lines for both sides.

It is reached after 5 moves: 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5. It is a line of the French Defense.

Black is to move and has 35 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 1,627,969 different games. Those games reach 514,753 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3.2 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 3 further lines after this position, such as Monte Carlo Variation (3... exd5 4. c4).

The same moves can be played in 5 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. d4 e6 2. e4 d5 3. exd5, which starts as the Queen's Pawn Game.