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French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation

376K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

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Analyze this line move by move

White expected score · All ratings · All speeds

50.9%

45%55%
Floor50.8%

the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 51.1%.

Measured over 376K 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 White

Draw 5.3 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 376K games

Rank among the families White can choose here
not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
Games in this context
376K
Best context
58.0% at 2500+ Blitz
Worst context
46.1% at 0-999 Blitz
Average game length
36 moves
Games that end decisively
94.7%
Draws
5.3%

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 gets better as the rating rises: 54.2% at 0-999, 61.5% 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, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (948 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 46.1% expected score (2,757 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 50.7% expected score (1,305 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 70.7% expected score (13 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 57.5% expected score (12 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 49.7% expected score (1,996 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.5% expected score (4,573 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 50.3% expected score (2,116 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (46 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 41.9% expected score (60 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 49.3% expected score (4,390 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.9% expected score (9,513 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.6% expected score (3,892 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 45.2% expected score (165 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 46.4% expected score (137 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.1% expected score (8,728 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.0% expected score (19,040 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 50.4% expected score (6,877 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 43.8% expected score (362 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 46.3% expected score (198 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.9% expected score (14,205 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (33,960 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.6% expected score (10,526 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 52.8% expected score (726 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 43.6% expected score (108 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (20,979 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (53,367 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (13,408 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 52.7% expected score (722 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (63 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 49.6% expected score (25,657 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 50.6% expected score (48,887 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 52.8% expected score (7,388 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 54.3% expected score (199 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 61.5% expected score (16 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 50.6% expected score (31,203 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.1% expected score (29,478 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 55.0% expected score (2,391 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 62.4% expected score (55 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 83.4% expected score (9 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.0% expected score (11,561 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 58.0% expected score (3,667 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 60.0% expected score (74 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (1 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%
Analyze French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation PositionsSee what each move is worth at your rating, move by move

Methodology

Across every rating and clock, the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation scores 50.9% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 50.8% and 51.1% — from 376K 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
376K+ 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: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation win rate?

Playing the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation, White wins 48.2%, draws 5.3% and loses 46.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.9%. It rests on 376K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation perform best?

The French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 56.5% (15K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.

Is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation better in blitz or rapid?

For White, the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 51.0% in Blitz (205K games) against 51.6% in Rapid (48K games).

How sharp is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation?

The French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation has a sharpness score of 94.7 (decisive), meaning 94.7% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.

What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation win rate at 0-999?

At 0-999, White wins 45.5%, draws 4.8% and loses 49.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 5.0K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.

What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation win rate at 1000-1199?

At 1000-1199, White wins 48.4%, draws 3.7% and loses 47.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.3%. It rests on 8.7K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.

What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation win rate at 1200-1399?

At 1200-1399, White wins 48.5%, draws 3.8% and loses 47.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.4%. It rests on 18K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.

What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation win rate at 1400-1599?

At 1400-1599, White wins 48.6%, draws 3.9% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.6%. It rests on 35K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.

What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation win rate at 1600-1799?

At 1600-1799, White wins 48.5%, draws 4.3% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 60K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.

What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation win rate at 1800-1999?

At 1800-1999, White wins 47.7%, draws 5.1% and loses 47.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.2%. It rests on 89K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.

What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation win rate at 2000-2199?

At 2000-2199, White wins 47.6%, draws 5.8% and loses 46.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.5%. It rests on 82K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.

What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation win rate at 2200-2499?

At 2200-2499, White wins 48.5%, draws 6.8% and loses 44.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 63K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.

What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation win rate at 2500+?

At 2500+, White wins 52.5%, draws 8.0% and loses 39.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.5%. It rests on 15K Lichess games, which average 42 moves.

What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet, White wins 45.2%, draws 3.6% and loses 51.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.0%. It rests on 603 Lichess games.

What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet, White wins 48.6%, draws 3.9% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.6%. It rests on 120K Lichess games.

What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz, White wins 48.0%, draws 5.9% and loses 46.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.0%. It rests on 205K Lichess games.

What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid, White wins 48.5%, draws 6.1% and loses 45.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 48K Lichess games.

What is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation win rate in Classical?

In Classical, White wins 47.5%, draws 7.4% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.2%. It rests on 2.3K Lichess games.

Is the French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation a good opening?

The French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 48.2% of its games and loses 46.4%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.