B13

Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation 3. exd5 cxd5

Also known as Exchange Caro-Kann

Chess diagram: Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation after 3…cxd5

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Statistics from Lichess

20,261,925 games: White 47.6% / Draw 5.9% / Black 46.4%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	5,540,7075.5M
	5,148,0445.1M
Caro-Kann Defense: Panov Attack	5,072,5795.1M
	2,456,4372.5M
	732,680733K
	365,515366K
	248,995249K
	232,269232K

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 21, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.15 The position is about equal

Best play: 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Bb4 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bb5+ Nc6

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 51% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	3.1M
1400–1799	9.3M
1800–2199	12.4M
2200 and up	2M
Masters, over the board	17K

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 27, 2026

Overview

Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation (ECO B13, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation, reached after 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 (3 moves).

In 20,261,925 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.6%, Black 46.4% and 5.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nf3, in 27% of those games.

It branches into 5 named variations; the most played are Caro-Kann Defense: Panov Attack and Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation, Rubinstein Variation. In all, 17 named lines continue from it.

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Description

How to answer 3…cxd5

4. Bd3 scores best for White: 53.1%, with White winning 49.8% and Black 43.7% of 5.1M games. The most played, 4. Nf3, scores 49.0% in 5.5M games, and 4. Nc3 scores lowest: 45.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. c4.

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: 0.93% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.48%.

0.48%0.93%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.48%	171,983
2017	0.59%	322,298
2018	0.66%	521,726
2019	0.65%	816,570
2020	0.65%	1,908,923
2021	0.67%	2,611,393
2022	0.76%	2,863,093
2023	0.85%	3,208,587
2024	0.9%	3,239,096
2025	0.93%	3,209,873
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.94%	1,035,218

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 (5)

All 17 named lines that continue from here

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation (B13)”. Lichess data as of 21 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-exchange-variation-2