French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack
100K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
50.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 50.9%.
Measured over 100K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.3 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 100K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 100K
- Best context
- 55.0% at 2500+ Bullet
- Worst context
- 45.4% at 1600-1799 Rapid
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.7%
- Draws
- 4.3%
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 gets better as the rating rises: 48.1% at 0-999, 56.0% 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: 48.3% expected score (146 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (302 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 45.2% expected score (102 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 47.9% expected score (402 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.7% expected score (962 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.4% expected score (364 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (5 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 48.0% expected score (979 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.2% expected score (2,155 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 49.5% expected score (847 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (20 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 36.8% expected score (25 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 47.9% expected score (1,771 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 47.3% expected score (4,333 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 49.6% expected score (1,618 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 48.2% expected score (80 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 65.2% expected score (15 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 48.3% expected score (2,699 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 46.5% expected score (7,881 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 45.4% expected score (2,471 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 40.5% expected score (150 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 54.7% expected score (20 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (5,215 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.1% expected score (15,686 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 47.4% expected score (3,535 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 45.1% expected score (150 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 78.0% expected score (11 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.8% expected score (7,096 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.3% expected score (17,596 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 49.4% expected score (2,507 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 38.0% expected score (40 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 54.4% expected score (10,089 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (7,573 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 52.8% expected score (551 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 66.0% expected score (11 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.0% expected score (2,726 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.4% expected score (306 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 56.7% expected score (6 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack scores 50.6% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 50.3% and 50.9% — from 100K 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
- 100K+ 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, Richter Attack win rate?
Playing the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack, White wins 48.4%, draws 4.3% and loses 47.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.6%. It rests on 100K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack perform best?
The French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 55.1% (3.0K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 50.4% in Blitz (57K games) against 48.2% in Rapid (12K games).
How sharp is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack?
The French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack has a sharpness score of 95.7 (very decisive), meaning 95.7% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 47.1%, draws 3.9% and loses 49.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.1%. It rests on 550 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 48.4%, draws 4.2% and loses 47.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.5%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 47.8%, draws 3.4% and loses 48.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.5%. It rests on 4.0K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 46.1%, draws 3.5% and loses 50.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 7.8K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 44.7%, draws 3.8% and loses 51.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.6%. It rests on 13K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 47.1%, draws 3.9% and loses 49.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.1%. It rests on 25K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 49.6%, draws 4.6% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 27K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 51.7%, draws 5.0% and loses 43.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.2%. It rests on 18K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 52.0%, draws 6.2% and loses 41.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.1%. It rests on 3.0K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 50.4%, draws 3.0% and loses 46.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 31K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 48.0%, draws 4.8% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.4%. It rests on 57K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 45.6%, draws 5.1% and loses 49.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.2%. It rests on 12K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 40.5%, draws 7.3% and loses 52.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.2%. It rests on 456 Lichess games.
Is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack a good opening?
The French Defense: Classical Variation, Richter Attack is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 48.4% of its games and loses 47.3%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.