French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation
32K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
55.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 55.8%.
Measured over 32K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 3.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 32K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 32K
- Best context
- 58.2% at 2200-2499 Bullet
- Worst context
- 49.4% at 1400-1599 Blitz
- Average game length
- 34 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.1%
- Draws
- 3.9%
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.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
Where it holds · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It holds about the same all the way up, near 49.7%.
| 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: 29.0% expected score (8 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (14 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 42.9% expected score (69 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 41.4% expected score (80 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 47.5% expected score (18 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (133 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (300 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 53.9% expected score (76 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.2% expected score (291 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 49.4% expected score (655 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 46.9% expected score (204 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 40.4% expected score (14 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 55.9% expected score (1,072 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (1,937 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.3% expected score (448 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 47.7% expected score (41 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 57.0% expected score (2,267 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 54.2% expected score (5,285 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.7% expected score (936 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (55 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.7% expected score (2,428 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 57.0% expected score (7,290 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.2% expected score (1,158 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 53.3% expected score (44 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 58.2% expected score (3,483 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 57.8% expected score (2,827 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 57.8% expected score (390 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (593 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 69.0% expected score (209 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 27.8% expected score (3 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation scores 55.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 54.9% and 55.8% — from 32K 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
- 32K+ 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: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation win rate?
Playing the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation, White wins 53.4%, draws 3.9% and loses 42.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.4%. It rests on 32K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation perform best?
The French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation performs best for White at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 58.0% (6.7K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 55.6% in Blitz (19K games) against 53.0% in Rapid (3.2K games).
How sharp is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation?
The French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation has a sharpness score of 96.1 (very decisive), meaning 96.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 41.0%, draws 2.7% and loses 56.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.4%. It rests on 168 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 51.2%, draws 2.4% and loses 46.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.5%. It rests on 509 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 48.0%, draws 2.5% and loses 49.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.3%. It rests on 1.2K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 51.9%, draws 3.4% and loses 44.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.6%. It rests on 3.5K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 53.0%, draws 3.2% and loses 43.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.6%. It rests on 8.5K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 53.6%, draws 4.2% and loses 42.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.7%. It rests on 11K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 55.6%, draws 4.8% and loses 39.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.0%. It rests on 6.7K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 53.6%, draws 5.4% and loses 41.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.3%. It rests on 805 Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 54.3%, draws 2.8% and loses 43.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.7%. It rests on 10K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 53.5%, draws 4.2% and loses 42.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 19K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 50.3%, draws 5.3% and loses 44.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.0%. It rests on 3.2K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 46.1%, draws 6.5% and loses 47.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.4%. It rests on 160 Lichess games.
Is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation a good opening?
The French Defense: Classical Variation, Pollock Variation is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 53.4% of its games and loses 42.7%. It performs best at 2200-2499. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.