French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line
9.5K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
47.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 48.5%.
Measured over 9.5K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 9.5K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 9.5K
- Best context
- 51.0% at 2000-2199 Bullet
- Worst context
- 44.0% at 2200-2499 Bullet
- Average game length
- 36 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.1%
- Draws
- 3.9%
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: 78.6% at 0-999, 44.6% 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: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 37.7% expected score (31 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 29.5% expected score (18 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 60.9% expected score (95 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 54.2% expected score (94 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 54.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.9% expected score (166 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 49.5% expected score (316 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 35.0% expected score (55 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 47.9% expected score (374 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 48.4% expected score (953 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 48.3% expected score (140 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 45.2% expected score (9 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (477 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 48.1% expected score (1,533 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 46.2% expected score (257 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (18 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (730 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 47.1% expected score (1,478 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 48.0% expected score (200 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 44.7% expected score (8 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 44.0% expected score (749 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 45.7% expected score (1,084 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 49.0% expected score (97 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 47.2% expected score (450 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 42.4% expected score (175 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line scores 47.6% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 46.8% and 48.5% — from 9.5K 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
- 9.5K+ 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, Traditional Line win rate?
Playing the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line, Black wins 45.6%, draws 3.9% and loses 50.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 9.5K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line perform best?
The French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line performs best for Black at 1200-1399, with an Expected Score of 57.5% (200 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 47.4% in Blitz (5.7K games) against 46.8% in Rapid (765 games).
How sharp is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line?
The French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line has a sharpness score of 96.1 (very decisive), meaning 96.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 56.3%, draws 2.2% and loses 41.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.5%. It rests on 200 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 47.4%, draws 1.9% and loses 50.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.4%. It rests on 540 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 46.7%, draws 2.9% and loses 50.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.2%. It rests on 1.5K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, 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 2.3K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 46.0%, draws 4.5% and loses 49.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.3%. It rests on 2.4K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 42.7%, draws 5.0% and loses 52.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.2%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 43.4%, draws 4.7% and loses 51.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.8%. It rests on 629 Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 47.0%, draws 2.6% and loses 50.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.3%. It rests on 3.1K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 45.1%, draws 4.5% and loses 50.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.4%. It rests on 5.7K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 44.6%, draws 4.4% and loses 51.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.8%. It rests on 765 Lichess games.
Is the French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line a good opening?
The French Defense: St. George Defense, Traditional Line is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 45.6% of its games and loses 50.4%. It performs best at 1200-1399. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.