French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation

75K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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White Expected Score52.9%Range (90% confident): 52.6% – 53.2%Based on 75K games
0%52.9%100%
Range (90% confident): 52.6% – 53.2%
Outcome Distribution
50.0%5.8%44.2%
Win
Draw
Loss
4...dxe4
French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation
Analyzen=75K
Avg Length35 moves
Sharpness94%
Draw Rate5.8%

What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation expected score for White?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a 52.9% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 52.6% and 53.2%), based on 75K Lichess games.

Extra Analysis

Deep-dive datasets for this opening

White Win% by Rating

Stable across ratings (~49%)

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 48.5% win rate (771 games)
  • 1000-1199: 51.5% win rate (1,849 games)
  • 1200-1399: 50.4% win rate (3,745 games)
  • 1400-1599: 49.6% win rate (6,862 games)
  • 1600-1799: 49.0% win rate (10,605 games)
  • 1800-1999: 49.4% win rate (14,507 games)
  • 2000-2199: 50.5% win rate (16,582 games)
  • 2200-2499: 50.9% win rate (14,516 games)
  • 2500+: 50.1% win rate (5,263 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in UltraBullet (59%), worst in Classical (40%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 59.2% win rate (72 games)
  • Bullet: 51.6% win rate (28,638 games)
  • Blitz: 49.5% win rate (38,245 games)
  • Rapid: 46.8% win rate (7,413 games)
  • Classical: 40.0% win rate (332 games)

White% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
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: 50.0% expected score (224 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (411 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 45.3% expected score (136 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 54.2% expected score (640 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.3% expected score (910 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 54.4% expected score (295 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 55.4% expected score (1,253 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.2% expected score (1,922 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 51.5% expected score (555 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 18.0% expected score (11 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 72.9% expected score (16 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 52.9% expected score (2,123 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (3,701 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 47.8% expected score (971 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 40.5% expected score (51 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 47.6% expected score (19 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 52.7% expected score (3,450 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.9% expected score (5,637 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 49.6% expected score (1,420 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 43.8% expected score (79 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 44.9% expected score (18 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (4,542 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.4% expected score (8,124 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 50.2% expected score (1,720 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 49.1% expected score (103 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 76.3% expected score (8 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 53.3% expected score (5,174 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 54.3% expected score (9,776 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 50.9% expected score (1,568 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 47.4% expected score (56 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 76.7% expected score (6 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 55.0% expected score (7,189 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.8% expected score (6,600 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 54.6% expected score (700 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 63.4% expected score (21 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.6% expected score (4,043 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 52.7% expected score (1,164 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 61.1% expected score (48 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (8 games)

Related Openings

Analyze French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation win rate?

The French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a 50.0% (90% CI: 49.7%-50.3%) win rate for white, based on 75K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation perform best?

The French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation performs best at 2200-2499 Elo with a 50.9% win rate for white (15K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (51.6%) outperforms Classical (40.0%) by 11.6%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation?

The French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a sharpness score of 94.2 (decisive), meaning 94.2% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.

What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a 48.5% (90% CI: 45.5%-51.4%) win rate for white, based on 771 Lichess games. Average game length is 26 moves with a 2.9% draw rate.

What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a 51.5% (90% CI: 49.6%-53.4%) win rate for white, based on 1.8K Lichess games. Average game length is 28 moves with a 2.7% draw rate.

What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a 50.4% (90% CI: 49.1%-51.8%) win rate for white, based on 3.7K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 3.1% draw rate.

What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a 49.6% (90% CI: 48.6%-50.6%) win rate for white, based on 6.9K Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 3.8% draw rate.

What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a 49.0% (90% CI: 48.2%-49.8%) win rate for white, based on 11K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 4.6% draw rate.

What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a 49.4% (90% CI: 48.7%-50.1%) win rate for white, based on 15K Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 5.0% draw rate.

What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a 50.5% (90% CI: 49.8%-51.1%) win rate for white, based on 17K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 6.3% draw rate.

What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a 50.9% (90% CI: 50.2%-51.6%) win rate for white, based on 15K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 7.1% draw rate.

What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a 50.1% (90% CI: 48.9%-51.2%) win rate for white, based on 5.3K Lichess games. Average game length is 41 moves with a 11.4% draw rate.

What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a 51.6% (90% CI: 51.2%-52.1%) win rate for white (29K Lichess games). Draw rate is 4.6%.

What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a 49.5% (90% CI: 49.1%-49.9%) win rate for white (38K Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.3%.

What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a 46.8% (90% CI: 45.9%-47.8%) win rate for white (7.4K Lichess games). Draw rate is 7.5%.

What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation has a 40.0% (90% CI: 35.7%-44.5%) win rate for white (332 Lichess games). Draw rate is 12.1%.

Is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation a good opening?

The French Defense: Classical Variation, Burn Variation is statistically favors white with a 50.0% (90% CI: 49.7%-50.3%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 2200-2499 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.