Caissa Codex
B12

Caro-Kann Defense 2. d4 d5

Chess diagram: Caro-Kann Defense after 2…d5

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Statistics from Lichess

64,172,339 games: White 48.3% / Draw 5.4% / Black 46.3%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Advance Variation 23,937,39223.9M
Exchange Variation 19,548,67719.5M
B15 13,819,86413.8M
Modern Variation 3,077,0233.1M
Maróczy Variation 2,490,2822.5M
687,147687K
Slav Defense: Diemer Gambit 263,237263K
143,301143K

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.36 White is slightly better

Best play: 3. e5 c5 4. Nf3 cxd4 5. Qxd4 Nc6 6. Qf4 e6 7. Nc3 Nge7

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

By rating

Rating changes little here: Black scores 49% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 46% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

PlayersGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400 14.2M
1400–1799 33.3M
1800–2199 37.7M
2200 and up 7M
Masters, over the board 84K

Master games

Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 26, 2026

Overview

Caro-Kann Defense (ECO B12, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Caro-Kann Defense, reached after 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 (2 moves).

In 64,172,339 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.3%, Black 46.3% and 5.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. e5, in 37% of those games.

It branches into 8 named variations; the most played are Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation and Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation. In all, 69 named lines continue from it.

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How to answer 2…d5

3. Nc3 scores best for White: 52.5%, with White winning 49.7% and Black 44.7% of 13.8M games. The most played answer, 3. e5, scores lowest: 49.7% in 23.9M games. Stockfish's first choice is 3. e5.

Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings

Popularity by year

This line has gained ground since 2016: 2.9% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 1.7%.

Numbers by year
YearShare of gamesGames
20161.7%612,476
20172.1%1,132,414
20182.2%1,754,982
20192.1%2,670,696
20202.1%6,010,506
20212.2%8,499,301
20222.4%9,119,952
20232.6%9,860,708
20242.8%10,002,512
20252.9%10,079,182
2026 (Jan–Apr)3.0%3,282,846

Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling

Variations (8)

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 2…d5, the position after Caro-Kann Defense also goes on to:

Transpositions

This position is also reached from these lines, by another move order:

From here, a move transposes into another named line:

All 69 named lines that continue from here

Loading sub-variations…

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Caro-Kann Defense (B12)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-5

https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-5