Chess opening · ECO C10

French Defense: Paulsen Variation

The French Defense: Paulsen Variation starts 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3. It ranks #79 of the 174 openings on this site by how often rated players on Lichess reach it.

The position after 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3. Black to move.

Move by move

  1. 1. e4White pushes the e-pawn two squares to e4, staking a claim in the center.
  2. 1... e6Black advances the e-pawn to e6.
  3. 2. d4White pushes the d-pawn two squares to d4, staking a claim in the center.
  4. 2... d5Black pushes the d-pawn two squares to d5, staking a claim in the center.
  5. 3. Nc3White develops the queenside knight to c3.

What players choose next, by rating

The three most common Black moves from this position in rated Lichess games, grouped by the rating of the player making the move. Among players rated under 1200, the most popular next move is dxe4; among players rated 2000 and up, it is Nf6.

RatingMost commonSecondThird
Under 1200dxe4 33%Bb4 18%c6 16%
1200–1399dxe4 29%Bb4 27%c5 15%
1400–1599Bb4 31%dxe4 22%Nf6 22%
1600–1799Nf6 33%dxe4 25%Bb4 24%
1800–1999Nf6 40%Bb4 30%dxe4 21%
2000 and upNf6 51%Bb4 29%dxe4 15%

Related openings

French Defense: Normal VariationThe line this one grows fromFrench Defense: Classical VariationA variation of this lineFrench Defense: Winawer VariationA variation of this line

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