French Defense: Franco-Sicilian Defense
Chess opening · ECO C00 · 4 half-moves
1. e4 e6 2. d4 c5
The French Defense: Franco-Sicilian Defense is reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 c5. It is White's move in the position shown.
It branches from the French Defense: Normal Variation with 2… c5.
How often it is played
The French Defense: Franco-Sicilian Defense and its variations appeared in 0.21% of games — 6,352 of 3,000,000 rated games sampled from Lichess in September 2026. That makes it number 175 of the openings listed here.
Results
White won 49%, 3.1% 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 +0.73 — a clear edge for White. 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: Exchange Variation | 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 | 1.3% |
| 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% |
Main continuations
| Variation | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| Benoni Defense: French Benoni | 1. e4 e6 2. d4 c5 3. d5 | 0.09% |
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