Caro-Kann Defense 2…d5 3. Nc3
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Statistics from Lichess
15,544,739 games: White 49.7% / Draw 5.6% / Black 44.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 12,671,00512.7M | ||
| 959,182959K | ||
| Campomanes Attack | 868,050868K | |
| 299,052299K | ||
| Gurgenidze System | 273,771274K | |
| 189,678190K | ||
| Gurgenidze Counterattack | 78,33878K | |
| 43,09743K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.34 White is slightly better
Best play: 3... dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Qc2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 53% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 52% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 3.6M | |
| 1400–1799 | 6.6M | |
| 1800–2199 | 9.6M | |
| 2200 and up | 2M | |
| Masters, over the board | 21K |
Master games
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Morozevich, A.
- Duda, J. K. – Carlsen, M.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Ding Liren
- Anand, V. – Topalov, V.
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 B15, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Caro-Kann Defense, reached after 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 (3 moves).
In 15,544,739 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.7%, Black 44.7% and 5.6% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…dxe4, in 82% of those games.
It branches into 4 named variations; the most played are Caro-Kann Defense: Campomanes Attack and Caro-Kann Defense: Gurgenidze System. In all, 13 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 3. Nc3
The most played answer, 3…dxe4, also scores best for Black: 48.0%, with Black winning 45.0% and White 49.1% of 12.7M games. Of the main answers, 3…e6 scores lowest: 44.5%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…dxe4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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: 0.72% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.48%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.48% | 170,396 |
| 2017 | 0.58% | 316,907 |
| 2018 | 0.63% | 491,442 |
| 2019 | 0.58% | 724,288 |
| 2020 | 0.54% | 1,571,130 |
| 2021 | 0.52% | 2,048,085 |
| 2022 | 0.55% | 2,070,243 |
| 2023 | 0.58% | 2,194,475 |
| 2024 | 0.65% | 2,343,091 |
| 2025 | 0.72% | 2,487,768 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.76% | 832,133 |
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 (4)
Transpositions
All 13 named lines that continue from here
- B15 Caro-Kann Defense 3 moves
- B15 Campomanes Attack 3 moves
- B15 Gurgenidze Counterattack 3 moves
- B15 Gurgenidze System 3 moves
- B15 Alekhine Gambit 5 moves
- B15 Alien Gambit 6 moves
- B16 Bronstein-Larsen Variation 5 moves
- B17 Karpov Variation, Modern Variation, Kasparov Attack 6 moves
- B15 Rasa-Studier Gambit 4 moves
- B15 Tartakower Variation 5 moves
- B15 von Hennig Gambit 4 moves
- B15 Caro-Kann Defense: Forgacs Variation 6 moves
- B15 Perlis Line 8 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Caro-Kann Defense (B15)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-6