Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation, Tal Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
2,125,976 games: White 53.3% / Draw 4.9% / Black 41.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,135,7011.1M | ||
| 630,232630K | ||
| 212,708213K | ||
| 42,08342K | ||
| 26,13726K | ||
| 17,60218K | ||
| 14,99715K | ||
| 9,1779,177 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 8, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.32 White is slightly better
Best play: 4... h5 5. Bd3 Bxd3 6. Qxd3 Qa5+ 7. Nd2 e6 8. Nf3 Nh6 9. O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for White: White scores 60% under 1400, 55% at 2200 and up and 55% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 100K | |
| 1400–1799 | 663K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.2M | |
| 2200 and up | 446K | |
| Masters, over the board | 5,055 |
Master games
- Firouzja, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Dominguez Perez, L. – Caruana, F.
- Dominguez Perez, L. – Caruana, F.
- Dominguez Perez, L. – Caruana, F.
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: Advance Variation, Tal Variation (ECO B12, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation, reached after 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 (4 moves).
In 2,125,976 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.3%, Black 41.8% and 4.9% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…h5, in 53% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation, Tal Variation
The most played answer, 4…h5, also scores best for Black: 45.9%, with Black winning 43.2% and White 51.4% of 1.1M games. Of the main answers, 4…e6 scores lowest: 28.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…h5.
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
The Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation, Tal Variation is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.099% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.037%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.037% | 13,203 |
| 2017 | 0.043% | 23,673 |
| 2018 | 0.049% | 38,607 |
| 2019 | 0.05% | 62,169 |
| 2020 | 0.06% | 176,782 |
| 2021 | 0.074% | 288,417 |
| 2022 | 0.088% | 331,791 |
| 2023 | 0.092% | 346,754 |
| 2024 | 0.097% | 346,742 |
| 2025 | 0.099% | 345,190 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.11% | 115,647 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation, Tal Variation (B12)”. Lichess data as of 8 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-advance-variation-tal-variation