Caissa Codex
B15

Caro-Kann Defense 3. Nc3 dxe4

Chess diagram: Caro-Kann Defense after 3…dxe4

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Statistics from Lichess

12,708,734 games: White 49.1% / Draw 5.9% / Black 45.0%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Caro-Kann Defense: Main Line 11,539,50811.5M
Rasa-Studier Gambit 756,861757K
von Hennig Gambit 326,190326K
24,18524K
21,64722K
16,67617K
6,8366,836
4,4494,449

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.30 White is slightly better

Best play: 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. Nf3 Nd7 7. h4 h6 8. Bd3 Bxd3

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 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

PlayersGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400 1.7M
1400–1799 4.7M
1800–2199 8M
2200 and up 1.8M
Masters, over the board 19K

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 B15, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Caro-Kann Defense, reached after 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 (3 moves).

In 12,708,734 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.1%, Black 45.0% and 5.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nxe4, in 91% of those games.

It branches into 7 named variations; the most played are Caro-Kann Defense: Tartakower Variation and Caro-Kann Defense: Rasa-Studier Gambit. In all, 9 named lines continue from it.

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How to answer 3…dxe4

4. f3 (Rasa-Studier Gambit) scores best for White: 54.4%, with White winning 52.3% and Black 43.4% of 757K games. The most played answer, 4. Nxe4, scores lowest: 51.8% in 11.5M games. Stockfish's first choice is 4. Nxe4.

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: 0.59% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.39%.

Numbers by year
YearShare of gamesGames
20160.39%138,418
20170.47%257,146
20180.51%396,922
20190.47%582,741
20200.44%1,284,368
20210.43%1,664,481
20220.45%1,698,597
20230.48%1,803,315
20240.54%1,918,573
20250.59%2,035,743
2026 (Jan–Apr)0.62%684,878

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 (7)

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 3…dxe4, the position after Caro-Kann Defense also goes on to:

Transpositions

From here, a move transposes into another named line:

All 9 named lines that continue from here

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Caro-Kann Defense (B15)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-7

https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-7