Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation, Spassky Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
645,942 games: White 48.8% / Draw 7.7% / Black 43.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 645,055645K | ||
| 587587 | ||
| 9090 | ||
| 6060 | ||
| 4747 | ||
| 4646 | ||
| 1919 | ||
| 1212 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.23 The position is about equal
Best play: 8... Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bd2 Be7 12. O-O-O Ngf6 13. Kb1
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 51% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2,306 | |
| 1400–1799 | 62K | |
| 1800–2199 | 405K | |
| 2200 and up | 189K | |
| Masters, over the board | 7,926 |
Master games
- Kasparov, G. – Anand, V.
- Anand, V. – Topalov, V.
- Ivanchuk, V. – Anand, V.
- Anand, V. – Leko, P.
- Karjakin, S. – Mamedyarov, S.
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, Spassky Variation (ECO B19, 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 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 (8 moves).
In 645,942 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.8%, Black 43.5% and 7.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…Bh7, in 100% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation, Lobron System and Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation, Seirawan Variation.
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: Classical Variation, Spassky Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.02% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.032% (its peak: 0.042% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.032% | 11,521 |
| 2017 | 0.038% | 20,732 |
| 2018 | 0.042% | 33,205 |
| 2019 | 0.036% | 44,559 |
| 2020 | 0.031% | 92,071 |
| 2021 | 0.025% | 99,094 |
| 2022 | 0.023% | 87,871 |
| 2023 | 0.022% | 81,882 |
| 2024 | 0.02% | 72,892 |
| 2025 | 0.02% | 69,200 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.02% | 22,218 |
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation, Spassky Variation (B19)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-classical-variation-spassky-variation