French Defense:Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation

It is reached after 14 moves: 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 Qc7. It is a line of the French Defense.

White is to move and has 41 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 1,586,309 different games. Those games reach 482,839 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3.3 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 3 further lines after this position, such as Poisoned Pawn Variation Declined (8. Bd3) and Main Line (8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 cxd4 10. Ne2).

The same moves can be played in 9,000 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. e4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 Qc7, which starts as the French Defense: Queen's Knight.