French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack
127K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
53.2%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.4%.
Measured over 127K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 3.5 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 127K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 127K
- Best context
- 59.3% at 2000-2199 Rapid
- Worst context
- 46.5% at 2500+ Bullet
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.5%
- Draws
- 3.5%
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 · 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 48.1%.
| 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, UltraBullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 47.9% expected score (680 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (990 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 53.2% expected score (175 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 67.4% expected score (10 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 49.8% expected score (1,852 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.8% expected score (4,058 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 53.4% expected score (762 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (16 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.3% expected score (4,301 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (10,728 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 52.8% expected score (2,451 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 64.4% expected score (61 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 67.7% expected score (7 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (5,140 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 52.8% expected score (17,381 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.8% expected score (5,754 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 59.0% expected score (321 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 73.1% expected score (5 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.1% expected score (4,901 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.1% expected score (18,868 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 56.3% expected score (9,050 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 59.4% expected score (340 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.4% expected score (4,689 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 54.6% expected score (13,042 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 54.7% expected score (6,115 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 62.1% expected score (135 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.6% expected score (2,667 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (5,666 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 59.3% expected score (2,130 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 56.5% expected score (45 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 50.8% expected score (1,284 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 52.3% expected score (1,765 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 52.3% expected score (243 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (14 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 46.5% expected score (733 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 47.5% expected score (312 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (12 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack scores 53.2% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 52.9% and 53.4% — from 127K 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
- 127K+ 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, Three Pawn Attack win rate?
Playing the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack, White wins 51.4%, draws 3.5% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.2%. It rests on 127K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack perform best?
The French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack performs best for White at 1600-1799, with an Expected Score of 54.2% (33K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 53.4% in Blitz (73K games) against 55.0% in Rapid (27K games).
How sharp is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack?
The French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack has a sharpness score of 96.5 (very decisive), meaning 96.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 48.6%, draws 2.5% and loses 48.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.9%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 50.1%, draws 2.8% and loses 47.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.5%. It rests on 6.7K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 50.7%, draws 2.6% and loses 46.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.0%. It rests on 18K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 50.9%, draws 3.2% and loses 45.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.5%. It rests on 29K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 52.4%, draws 3.5% and loses 44.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.2%. It rests on 33K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 52.1%, draws 3.8% and loses 44.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.0%. It rests on 24K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 51.9%, draws 4.5% and loses 43.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.2%. It rests on 11K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 48.6%, draws 6.1% and loses 45.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.7%. It rests on 3.3K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 41.3%, draws 10.9% and loses 47.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.8%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 49.3%, draws 2.3% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.4%. It rests on 26K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 51.6%, draws 3.6% and loses 44.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.4%. It rests on 73K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 52.7%, draws 4.4% and loses 42.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.0%. It rests on 27K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 56.6%, draws 6.4% and loses 37.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 59.8%. It rests on 922 Lichess games.
Is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack a good opening?
The French Defense: St. George Defense, Three Pawn Attack is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 51.4% of its games and loses 45.1%. It performs best at 1600-1799. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.