The French Defense Advance Variation starts 1. 2. 3.. Your d4 and e5 pawns form a chain that blocks the e6 pawn, and behind it the c8 bishop stays shut in. On Lichess (September 2026, N = 354,244 games at 900 to 1700) you score 48.4%. Nearly all strong players, 93 of every 100, reply against d4, the base of the chain. Your job is to keep it standing.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
15 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
Against 3., 71 of every 100 opponents at your level play , and among strong players it is 93. The big difference is in your reply. Strong players choose 4. in 90 of every 100 games; at your level only 53 do, and another 28 of every 100 play 4.. With 4. you score 48 of every 100; with 4., 46. After 4. 5., almost half of players at your level go : 49 of every 100. Strong players split between (36 of every 100) and (35).
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71.2% | 46.6% | 93.3% | 97.6% | |
| 10.8% | 54.6% | no data | no data | |
| 4.1% | 53.3% | no data | no data | |
| 2.7% | 50.2% | 0.9% | no data | |
| 2.3% | 49.9% | no data | no data | |
| 1.8% | 49.0% | 2.3% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.5% | 2.4% | |
| no data | no data | 0.5% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.3% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52.6% | 47.7% | 89.7% | 100.0% | |
| 27.9% | 46.4% | 4.3% | no data | |
| 4.9% | 45.7% | no data | no data | |
| 4.2% | 43.2% | 1.1% | no data | |
| 4.2% | 45.4% | no data | no data | |
| 2.3% | 43.4% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 3.3% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.1% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.2% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59.0% | 47.0% | 79.1% | 90.2% | |
| 15.3% | 50.6% | 1.3% | no data | |
| 12.9% | 45.9% | 12.4% | 4.3% | |
| 5.1% | 49.7% | no data | no data | |
| 1.8% | 46.7% | no data | no data | |
| 1.8% | 47.0% | 5.0% | 5.5% | |
| no data | no data | 1.2% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.3% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63.6% | 48.1% | 93.4% | 100.0% | |
| 18.1% | 46.0% | 0.4% | no data | |
| 6.9% | 45.8% | 3.1% | no data | |
| 5.5% | 43.1% | 1.1% | no data | |
| 1.7% | 48.4% | 1.4% | no data | |
| 0.9% | 41.5% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.2% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48.7% | 46.6% | 34.5% | 19.1% | |
| 15.2% | 46.1% | 35.8% | 58.8% | |
| 14.2% | 50.7% | 3.1% | no data | |
| 11.2% | 47.0% | 19.1% | 17.6% | |
| 2.2% | 47.1% | no data | no data | |
| 2.1% | 52.9% | 1.7% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 2.6% | 4.4% |
The strong players' line is 4. 5. 6. 7.. It all revolves around one pawn: d4, the base of your d4-e5 chain. Black attacks it with a pawn and pieces, and you hold it with a pawn and pieces. No black pawn can touch e5 without pushing the f-pawn, so Black's target is d4. As long as it stands, your e5 pawn keeps f6 out of reach for the g8 knight.
hits the base of the chain. 4. prepares your answer: if Black trades on d4, you recapture with the c-pawn and the chain survives. 90 of every 100 strong players go for it. If you trade yourself with 4., or take back on d4 with a piece, your e5 pawn is left with no pawn behind it.
adds a second attacker on d4 and also eyes e5. With 5. your knight defends both pawns at once. Now d4 has three defenders, the queen on d1, the c3 pawn and the knight, against two attackers.
With Black develops the c8 bishop, which the e6 pawn had shut in, and protects the c6 knight: if your bishop takes it from b5, Black recaptures with the bishop instead of a pawn. Your 6. gets ready to castle and, unlike 6., it stays out of the queen's way. The d-file remains open between d1 and d4, so the queen keeps guarding the pawn.
shows where the g8 knight is headed. Since e5 takes away f6, it comes out via e7 on its way to f5, where it would hit d4 a third time. That is why 7., chosen by 50 of every 100 strong players there. Your b1 knight cannot use c3, where your pawn sits, and on d2 it would block the c1 bishop. From a3 it can reach c2 and defend d4 again.
Against , the most common reply at your level, the idea is the same. The queen presses d4 from behind the c5 pawn and hits b2, which only your c1 bishop guards. Don't move that bishop off c1 too early.
Between 900 and 1700 your result slips a little with each band: 51 of every 100 at 900-1100, 49 at 1100-1300 and 48 in the two bands above. Strong players with White get 52 of every 100 online and 60 in over-the-board games.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 16,378 | 93.4% | |
| 15,261 | 89.8% | |
| 14,270 | 79.3% | |
| 11,263 | 93.5% | |
| 11,003 | 36.3% | |
| 4,130 | 43.0% | |
| 1,658 | 50.3% | |
| 796 | 50.0% |
An inaccuracy. After , 4. defends d4 with the bishop instead of a pawn. Then 5. 6. : the knight hits your d4 bishop and the e5 pawn, which no longer has a pawn behind it. Material is level. Play 4. instead. 4 of every 100 players choose it, and you score 45 against 48.
4 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 45.4%; scores 47.7%.
An inaccuracy that opponents at your level rarely punish. After 4. , 5. again defends d4 with a piece. After 6. 7. , two knights attack your d4 bishop, and 8. goes after the one on f5. Play 5.. 12 of every 100 choose it, and you score 45 against 46.
12 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 44.7%; scores 46.2%.
An inaccuracy that rarely gets punished at your level. After , 4. pins the knight, but breaks the pin. After 5. the knight goes home and the d7 bishop now faces yours. If you retreat with 6., you block your queen, and after nothing defends d4: 7.. Play 4.. You score 54 against 55.
15 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 53.5%; scores 55.1%.
An inaccuracy. After , 4. hits d5 but leaves only your queen guarding d4, since your c-pawn can no longer recapture there. grabs the pawn, and in the line 5. 6. 7. you never win it back: you are a pawn down. Play 4.. You score 43 against 48.
2 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.4%; scores 47.7%.
An inaccuracy. After 4. , 5. trades off the d4 pawn, the one that held e5, and develops the bishop as it recaptures. After 6. 7. , the pawn hits e5, which only your f3 knight defends, and 8. pins the c6 knight. Play 5.. You score 44 against 46.
10 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.5%; scores 46.2%.
An inaccuracy. After 4. , 5. props up e5 but closes the diagonal of your c1 bishop, which stops covering h6. That is where comes out, eyeing f5. After 6. 7. 8. you are a pawn down. Play 5.. You score 43 against 48.
6 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.8 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.1%; scores 48.1%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 150,198 | ||
| Not castled | 78,202 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 47,286 |
| Not castled | 26,752 | |
| 24,657 | ||
| 11,021 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 150 | ||
| Not castled | 53 | |
| 31 | ||
| Not castled | Not castled | 12 |
| Not castled | 11 | |
| Not castled | 8 |
1. 2. 3. 4. · 80,481 amateur games · 1 over the board
4. guards d4 and e5 with the knight instead of a pawn. You score 46 of every 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · 50,674 amateur games · 69 over the board
After 4. , 5. gives d4 its third defender. You score 48 of every 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · 11,467 amateur games · 130 over the board
develops the c8 bishop and protects the c6 knight. You score 46 of every 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. · 9,112 amateur games
4. gives up your chain's base, leaving e5 without pawn support. You score 43 of every 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · 7,789 amateur games · 13 over the board
After , 6. blocks your queen and offers the d4 pawn. You score 52 of every 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · 5,357 amateur games
5. defends d4 with the bishop, but b2 loses its only defender. You score 46 of every 100.
1. 2. 3. · 4,897 amateur games · 4 over the board
steers the c8 bishop toward b5, facing your f1 bishop. You score 49 of every 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · 3,834 amateur games · 8 over the board
After , 6. takes b4 away from the c6 knight. You score 51 of every 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C02
1,605 amateur games · White's score: 46.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · C02
476 amateur games · White's score: 45.2%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C02
372 amateur games · White's score: 52.3%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C02
274 amateur games · White's score: 48.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. · C02
86 amateur games · White's score: 41.9%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · C02
71 amateur games · White's score: 48.6%
It is the line 1. 2. 3.. Your e5 pawn, backed by d4, gains space and takes f6 away from the g8 knight. Black usually strikes back with at the base of your chain. It shows up in 12 of every 1000 Lichess games at 900 to 1700, and you score 48 of every 100.
At 900 to 1700 it is about level: you score 51 of every 100 at 900-1100 and 48 at 1500-1700. Strong players get more out of it, scoring 52 of every 100 online and 60 over the board, and 90 of every 100 of them answer with 4..
Keep d4 standing. After , play 4. so you can recapture on d4 with a pawn. Against , 5. defends d4 and e5. Then 6. keeps the d-file open for your queen, and 7. can go on to c2, where the knight would defend d4 again.