French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation
29K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
44.2%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 44.7%.
Measured over 29K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 29K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 29K
- Best context
- 46.4% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Worst context
- 38.9% at 2500+ Bullet
- Average game length
- 32 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.6%
- Draws
- 3.4%
Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.
Where it holds · Black score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It falls away as the rating rises: 46.2% at 0-999, 41.5% at 2500+.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-999 | — | — | — | ||
| 1000-1199 | — | — | |||
| 1200-1399 | — | ||||
| 1400-1599 | |||||
| 1600-1799 | |||||
| 1800-1999 | — | ||||
| 2000-2199 | |||||
| 2200-2499 | — | ||||
| 2500+ | — | — |
Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 42.4% expected score (5 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (6 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 56.9% expected score (35 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 47.0% expected score (15 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 43.0% expected score (98 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 57.2% expected score (89 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 64.0% expected score (20 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 52.4% expected score (334 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 50.9% expected score (428 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 40.7% expected score (47 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 31.9% expected score (4 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 44.4% expected score (1,193 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 43.4% expected score (1,749 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 40.4% expected score (216 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 34.9% expected score (15 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 44.8% expected score (2,132 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 44.8% expected score (4,878 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 45.8% expected score (698 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 48.4% expected score (59 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 45.3% expected score (3,047 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 43.2% expected score (5,853 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 41.6% expected score (964 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (21 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 43.0% expected score (2,725 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 46.4% expected score (3,032 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 38.5% expected score (405 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 38.9% expected score (926 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 44.7% expected score (204 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 40.9% expected score (4 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation scores 44.2% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 43.8% and 44.7% — from 29K Lichess games. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 29K+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation win rate?
Playing the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation, Black wins 42.5%, draws 3.4% and loses 54.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.2%. It rests on 29K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation perform best?
The French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation performs best for Black at 1400-1599, with an Expected Score of 50.7% (814 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 44.6% in Blitz (16K games) against 42.4% in Rapid (2.4K games).
How sharp is the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation?
The French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation has a sharpness score of 96.6 (very decisive), meaning 96.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 32 moves.
What is the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 49.4%, draws 3.1% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.0%. It rests on 208 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 49.7%, draws 1.9% and loses 48.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 814 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 42.1%, draws 2.7% and loses 55.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.5%. It rests on 3.2K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 43.3%, draws 3.2% and loses 53.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.9%. It rests on 7.8K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 41.9%, draws 3.5% and loses 54.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.7%. It rests on 9.9K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 42.4%, draws 4.0% and loses 53.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.4%. It rests on 6.2K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 37.2%, draws 5.3% and loses 57.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 39.9%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 42.9%, draws 2.4% and loses 54.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.1%. It rests on 10K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 42.6%, draws 4.0% and loses 53.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.6%. It rests on 16K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 40.2%, draws 4.4% and loses 55.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.4%. It rests on 2.4K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, Black wins 37.6%, draws 5.4% and loses 57.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 40.3%. It rests on 101 Lichess games.
Is the French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation a good opening?
The French Defense: Alekhine-Chatard Attack, Breyer Variation is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 42.5% of its games and loses 54.1%. It performs best at 1400-1599. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.