1.4K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
At all ratings, the French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Tartakower Variation has a 46.8% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 44.6% and 49.0%), based on 1.4K Lichess games.
Improves with rating: 20% → 41%
Best in Classical (60%), worst in Rapid (42%)
Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.
| 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
The French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Tartakower Variation has a 51.0% (90% CI: 48.8%-53.2%) win rate for white, based on 1.4K rated games from Lichess.
The French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Tartakower Variation performs best at 2200-2499 Elo with a 55.9% win rate for white (339 games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.
Bullet (52.1%) outperforms Rapid (52.1%) by 0.0%. Choose your time control wisely.
The French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Tartakower Variation has a sharpness score of 95.6 (very decisive), meaning 95.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
At 1800-1999 Elo, the French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Tartakower Variation has a 46.1% (90% CI: 41.2%-51.1%) win rate for white, based on 277 Lichess games. Average game length is 32 moves with a 2.0% draw rate.
At 2000-2199 Elo, the French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Tartakower Variation has a 49.1% (90% CI: 45.8%-52.4%) win rate for white, based on 619 Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 5.4% draw rate.
At 2200-2499 Elo, the French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Tartakower Variation has a 55.9% (90% CI: 51.5%-60.3%) win rate for white, based on 339 Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 4.6% draw rate.
In Bullet games, the French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Tartakower Variation has a 52.1% (90% CI: 48.0%-56.3%) win rate for white (383 Lichess games). Draw rate is 2.0%.
In Blitz games, the French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Tartakower Variation has a 50.4% (90% CI: 47.6%-53.1%) win rate for white (909 Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.3%.
In Rapid games, the French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Tartakower Variation has a 52.1% (90% CI: 44.2%-60.0%) win rate for white (105 Lichess games). Draw rate is 6.1%.
The French Defense: McCutcheon Variation, Tartakower Variation is statistically balanced with a 51.0% (90% CI: 48.8%-53.2%) 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.