French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation
13K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
46.0%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 46.8%.
Measured over 13K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 4.2 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 13K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 13K
- Best context
- 51.1% at 1800-1999 Bullet
- Worst context
- 40.1% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 36 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.8%
- Draws
- 4.2%
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 gets better as the rating rises: 42.9% at 0-999, 55.6% 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: 46.6% expected score (13 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 16.7% expected score (9 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 65.4% expected score (5 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 42.1% expected score (30 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 39.0% expected score (53 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (19 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 47.5% expected score (98 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (197 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 39.3% expected score (50 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: 49.4% expected score (224 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 49.2% expected score (570 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 49.4% expected score (167 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 36.7% expected score (6 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 46.5% expected score (470 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 46.6% expected score (1,240 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 44.3% expected score (284 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 41.4% expected score (16 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.1% expected score (827 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (2,226 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 40.6% expected score (456 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 47.5% expected score (18 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 45.5% expected score (857 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 46.0% expected score (2,879 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 42.0% expected score (335 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 45.4% expected score (778 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 40.1% expected score (1,034 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 36.2% expected score (100 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 40.0% expected score (103 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.9% expected score (42 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation scores 46.0% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 45.3% and 46.8% — from 13K 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
- 13K+ 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, Vistaneckis Variation win rate?
Playing the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation, Black wins 43.9%, draws 4.2% and loses 51.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.0%. It rests on 13K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation perform best?
The French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 48.0% (3.5K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 46.3% in Blitz (8.3K games) against 42.6% in Rapid (1.4K games).
How sharp is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation?
The French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation has a sharpness score of 95.8 (very decisive), meaning 95.8% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 40.1%, draws 3.4% and loses 56.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.8%. It rests on 102 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 45.9%, draws 3.3% and loses 50.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 346 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 47.7%, draws 2.8% and loses 49.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.1%. It rests on 968 Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 44.3%, draws 3.8% and loses 51.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.2%. It rests on 2.0K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 45.9%, draws 4.1% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.0%. It rests on 3.5K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 43.2%, draws 4.7% and loses 52.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.6%. It rests on 4.1K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 39.8%, draws 4.5% and loses 55.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.0%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 41.7%, draws 7.1% and loses 51.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.3%. It rests on 146 Lichess games, which average 41 moves.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 45.6%, draws 2.8% and loses 51.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.0%. It rests on 3.4K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 43.9%, draws 4.7% and loses 51.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.3%. It rests on 8.3K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 40.3%, draws 4.5% and loses 55.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 42.6%. It rests on 1.4K Lichess games.
Is the French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation a good opening?
The French Defense: Classical Variation, Vistaneckis Variation is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 43.9% of its games and loses 51.9%. It performs best at 1800-1999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.