Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation, Main Line
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
1,648,462 games: White 51.9% / Draw 6.3% / Black 41.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,419,1371.4M | ||
| 178,396178K | ||
| 21,54322K | ||
| 13,27713K | ||
| 9,5339,533 | ||
| 3,2673,267 | ||
| 988988 | ||
| 910910 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 9, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.32 White is slightly better
Best play: 6... h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bd2
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 57% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 32K | |
| 1400–1799 | 427K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1M | |
| 2200 and up | 290K | |
| Masters, over the board | 10K |
Master games
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – So, W.
- Kasparov, G. – Anand, V.
- 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 27, 2026
Overview
Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation, Main Line (ECO B18, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation, reached after 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 (6 moves).
In 1,648,462 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.9%, Black 41.8% and 6.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…h6, in 86% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation. In all, 4 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation, Main Line
The most played answer, 6…h6, also scores best for Black: 46.2%, with Black winning 42.9% and White 50.5% of 1.4M games. Of the main answers, 6…h5 scores lowest: 37.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6…h6.
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: Classical Variation, Main Line has lost ground since 2016: 0.054% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.074% (its peak: 0.096% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.074% | 26,474 |
| 2017 | 0.088% | 48,686 |
| 2018 | 0.096% | 75,097 |
| 2019 | 0.083% | 103,000 |
| 2020 | 0.076% | 222,348 |
| 2021 | 0.066% | 256,871 |
| 2022 | 0.061% | 230,402 |
| 2023 | 0.057% | 215,381 |
| 2024 | 0.055% | 198,008 |
| 2025 | 0.054% | 186,012 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.054% | 58,721 |
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 (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation, Main Line (B18)”. Lichess data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-classical-variation-main-line