Caro-Kann Defense: Alien Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
175,465 games: White 55.8% / Draw 3.4% / Black 40.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 175,266175K | ||
| 4040 | ||
| 3636 | ||
| 2525 | ||
| 2020 | ||
| 1919 | ||
| 1515 | ||
| 1111 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 9, 2026
Engine evaluation
−2.89 Black is clearly better
Even so, White scores 57.5% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 6... Kxf7 7. Nf3 c5 8. Bc4+ e6 9. Qe2 cxd4 10. Bd2 Nc6 11. O-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 62% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 16K | |
| 1400–1799 | 66K | |
| 1800–2199 | 112K | |
| 2200 and up | 21K | |
| Masters, over the board | — | no 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 27, 2026
Overview
Caro-Kann Defense: Alien Gambit (ECO B15, Semi-Open Games) is a gambit in the Caro-Kann Defense, reached after 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Ng5 h6 6. Nxf7 (6 moves).
In 175,465 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 55.8%, Black 40.8% and 3.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Kxf7, in 100% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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Popularity by year
The Caro-Kann Defense: Alien Gambit is played more than 42 times as often as in 2016: 0.02% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.00048%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.00048% | 172 |
| 2017 | 0.00086% | 471 |
| 2018 | 0.0012% | 944 |
| 2019 | 0.0013% | 1,682 |
| 2020 | 0.0015% | 4,256 |
| 2021 | 0.0015% | 5,902 |
| 2022 | 0.0018% | 6,777 |
| 2023 | 0.0021% | 7,729 |
| 2024 | 0.011% | 39,276 |
| 2025 | 0.02% | 70,424 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.027% | 29,715 |
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: Alien Gambit (B15)”. Lichess data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-alien-gambit