French Defense: Exchange Variation
Chess opening · ECO C01 · 5 half-moves
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5
The French Defense: Exchange Variation is reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5. It is Black's move in the position shown.
It branches from the French Defense: Normal Variation with 2… d5 3. exd5.
How often it is played
The French Defense: Exchange Variation and its variations appeared in 1.3% of games — 38,195 of 3,000,000 rated games sampled from Lichess in September 2026. That makes it number 38 of the openings listed here.
Results
White won 48%, 4.3% were drawn and Black won 48%. These are games between players of every strength and time control, so they say how the opening does in practice rather than how sound it is.
What the engine thinks
Stockfish, at depth 18, evaluates the position at +0.19 — which is level. Positive numbers favour White; see reading the evaluation bar.
Similar openings
The most-played alternatives — what else could have been chosen around the move where this opening begins.
| Opening | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| French Defense: Advance Variation | 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 | 0.95% |
| French Defense: Paulsen Variation | 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 | 0.65% |
| French Defense: Franco-Sicilian Defense | 1. e4 e6 2. d4 c5 | 0.21% |
Main continuations
| Variation | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| French Defense: Exchange Variation, Monte Carlo Variation | 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. c4 | 0.10% |
| French Defense: Exchange Variation, Bogoljubow Variation | 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bg5 Nc6 | 0.00% |
Check your own games
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