French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation
37K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
51.9%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 52.3%.
Measured over 37K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 4.6 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 37K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 37K
- Best context
- 59.4% at 1600-1799 Bullet
- Worst context
- 46.3% at 2500+ Bullet
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.4%
- Draws
- 4.6%
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: 49.2% at 0-999, 47.1% 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: 50.0% expected score (15 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 38.5% expected score (42 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 59.0% expected score (32 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 62.4% expected score (43 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 44.1% expected score (41 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 45.0% expected score (28 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 54.2% expected score (71 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.6% expected score (82 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 35.0% expected score (35 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 42.4% expected score (5 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 57.4% expected score (155 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (283 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 44.5% expected score (53 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 59.4% expected score (500 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 52.0% expected score (885 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 33.3% expected score (109 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 34.7% expected score (5 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 54.8% expected score (1,763 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 53.7% expected score (4,588 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 49.9% expected score (355 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 43.1% expected score (20 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 55.0% expected score (4,766 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.1% expected score (9,888 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 47.7% expected score (430 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 35.7% expected score (9 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.6% expected score (6,507 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.5% expected score (4,759 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 42.1% expected score (156 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 46.3% expected score (1,629 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 45.1% expected score (172 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (7 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation scores 51.9% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 51.5% and 52.3% — from 37K 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
- 37K+ 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: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation win rate?
Playing the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation, Black wins 49.6%, draws 4.6% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 37K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation perform best?
The French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation performs best for Black at 1800-1999, with an Expected Score of 53.7% (6.7K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 51.3% in Blitz (21K games) against 46.0% in Rapid (1.2K games).
How sharp is the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation?
The French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation has a sharpness score of 95.4 (very decisive), meaning 95.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 50.7%, draws 1.3% and loses 48.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.4%. It rests on 112 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 47.6%, draws 2.3% and loses 50.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.8%. It rests on 193 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 52.2%, draws 1.9% and loses 45.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.2%. It rests on 494 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 51.6%, draws 2.6% and loses 45.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.0%. It rests on 1.5K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 51.9%, draws 3.6% and loses 44.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.7%. It rests on 6.7K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 50.4%, draws 4.8% and loses 44.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.8%. It rests on 15K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 47.7%, draws 5.2% and loses 47.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.3%. It rests on 11K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 43.1%, draws 6.1% and loses 50.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.2%. It rests on 1.8K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 51.5%, draws 3.5% and loses 45.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.3%. It rests on 15K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 48.5%, draws 5.4% and loses 46.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 21K Lichess games.
What is the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 43.1%, draws 5.8% and loses 51.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.0%. It rests on 1.2K Lichess games.
Is the French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation a good opening?
The French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Haberditz Variation is about level. Across all ratings, Black wins 49.6% of its games and loses 45.8%. It performs best at 1800-1999. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.