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French Defense: St. George Defense

509K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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Analyze this line move by move

Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds

48.8%

45%55%
Floor48.7%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 48.9%.

Measured over 509K games at this level and clock.

Playablewins about as often as it loses at this level

Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.

Outcomes for Black

Draw 4.0 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 509K games

Rank among the families Black can choose here
not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
Games in this context
509K
Best context
54.7% at 0-999 Bullet
Worst context
44.1% at 2000-2199 Rapid
Average game length
35 moves
Games that end decisively
96.0%
Draws
4.0%

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 falls away as the rating rises: 58.4% at 0-999, 45.1% at 2500+.

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, UltraBullet: 62.7% expected score (30 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 54.7% expected score (4,377 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (9,679 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (2,373 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 73.1% expected score (18 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 53.7% expected score (54 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.4% expected score (9,372 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 49.6% expected score (27,262 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 48.3% expected score (8,131 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 49.3% expected score (131 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 47.3% expected score (73 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (18,522 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 48.7% expected score (57,299 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 48.8% expected score (19,079 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 47.3% expected score (590 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 56.3% expected score (102 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.3% expected score (19,531 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 48.7% expected score (70,271 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 48.1% expected score (32,385 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 47.4% expected score (2,080 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 45.0% expected score (78 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.4% expected score (18,265 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.1% expected score (57,484 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 47.3% expected score (32,708 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 44.4% expected score (1,398 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 31.4% expected score (28 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 49.3% expected score (15,609 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (33,943 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 46.7% expected score (15,184 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 41.9% expected score (427 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 63.4% expected score (6 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.1% expected score (11,142 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 47.8% expected score (14,885 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 44.1% expected score (4,268 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 42.1% expected score (80 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 48.6% expected score (6,430 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 49.0% expected score (6,756 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 48.3% expected score (581 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 64.0% expected score (45 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 48.3% expected score (4,998 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 47.1% expected score (2,783 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 49.0% expected score (295 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 35.9% expected score (48 games)

Related Openings

Parent
French Defense
45.7%
Variations (5)
French Defense: Knight Variation
48.3%
French Defense: Exchange Variation
47.7%
French Defense: Normal Variation
50.3%
French Defense: Advance Variation
48.0%
French Defense: Queen's Knight
48.5%
Continuations (4)
French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack
51.4%
French Defense: St. George Defense, Sanky-George Gambit
47.9%
French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line
50.4%
French Defense: St. George Defense, St. George Gambit
45.9%
Analyze French Defense: St. George Defense PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the French Defense: St. George Defense scores 48.8% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 48.7% and 48.9% — from 509K 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
509K+ 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: St. George Defense win rate?

Playing the French Defense: St. George Defense, Black wins 46.8%, draws 4.0% and loses 49.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.8%. It rests on 509K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the French Defense: St. George Defense perform best?

The French Defense: St. George Defense performs best for Black at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 52.2% (16K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.

Is the French Defense: St. George Defense better in blitz or rapid?

For Black, the French Defense: St. George Defense scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 48.7% in Blitz (280K games) against 47.7% in Rapid (115K games).

How sharp is the French Defense: St. George Defense?

The French Defense: St. George Defense has a sharpness score of 96.0 (very decisive), meaning 96.0% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.

What is the French Defense: St. George Defense win rate at 0-999?

At 0-999, Black wins 50.7%, draws 2.9% and loses 46.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.2%. It rests on 16K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.

What is the French Defense: St. George Defense win rate at 1000-1199?

At 1000-1199, Black wins 48.2%, draws 3.1% and loses 48.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.8%. It rests on 45K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.

What is the French Defense: St. George Defense win rate at 1200-1399?

At 1200-1399, Black wins 47.6%, draws 3.3% and loses 49.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.2%. It rests on 96K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.

What is the French Defense: St. George Defense win rate at 1400-1599?

At 1400-1599, Black wins 47.1%, draws 3.4% and loses 49.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.8%. It rests on 124K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.

What is the French Defense: St. George Defense win rate at 1600-1799?

At 1600-1799, Black wins 46.4%, draws 3.6% and loses 50.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.2%. It rests on 110K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.

What is the French Defense: St. George Defense win rate at 1800-1999?

At 1800-1999, Black wins 46.2%, draws 3.8% and loses 49.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.2%. It rests on 65K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.

What is the French Defense: St. George Defense win rate at 2000-2199?

At 2000-2199, Black wins 45.9%, draws 4.4% and loses 49.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 30K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.

What is the French Defense: St. George Defense win rate at 2200-2499?

At 2200-2499, Black wins 46.2%, draws 5.1% and loses 48.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.8%. It rests on 14K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.

What is the French Defense: St. George Defense win rate at 2500+?

At 2500+, Black wins 30.4%, draws 34.8% and loses 34.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.8%. It rests on 8.1K Lichess games, which average 53 moves.

What is the French Defense: St. George Defense win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet, Black wins 50.2%, draws 0.9% and loses 48.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 374 Lichess games.

What is the French Defense: St. George Defense win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet, Black wins 48.8%, draws 3.3% and loses 47.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.5%. It rests on 108K Lichess games.

What is the French Defense: St. George Defense win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz, Black wins 46.6%, draws 4.1% and loses 49.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.7%. It rests on 280K Lichess games.

What is the French Defense: St. George Defense win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid, Black wins 45.5%, draws 4.4% and loses 50.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.7%. It rests on 115K Lichess games.

What is the French Defense: St. George Defense win rate in Classical?

In Classical, Black wins 43.2%, draws 5.9% and loses 50.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.2%. It rests on 4.8K Lichess games.

Is the French Defense: St. George Defense a good opening?

The French Defense: St. George Defense is about level. Across all ratings, Black wins 46.8% of its games and loses 49.2%. It performs best at 0-999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.