Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation, Rubinstein Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
992,473 games: White 50.4% / Draw 7.3% / Black 42.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 615,616616K | ||
| 134,971135K | ||
| 129,753130K | ||
| 48,79549K | ||
| 34,58635K | ||
| 11,85312K | ||
| 4,6594,659 | ||
| 3,1573,157 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... Bg4 7. Qb3 Na5 8. Qc2 e6 9. Nd2 Bd6 10. Bxd6 Qxd6 11. Ngf3
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 | 24K | |
| 1400–1799 | 185K | |
| 1800–2199 | 621K | |
| 2200 and up | 240K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,986 |
Master games
- Ding, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Ding, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – So, W.
- Carlsen, M. – So, W.
- Carlsen, M. – So, W.
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, Rubinstein 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 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 (6 moves).
In 992,473 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.4%, Black 42.3% and 7.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Bg4, in 62% 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: Exchange Variation, Rubinstein Variation
6…g6 scores best for Black: 49.4%, with Black winning 45.2% and White 46.4% of 130K games. The most played, 6…Bg4, scores 46.7% in 616K games, and 6…e6 scores lowest: 41.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 6…Bg4.
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: Exchange Variation, Rubinstein Variation is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.047% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.019%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.019% | 6,685 |
| 2017 | 0.026% | 14,491 |
| 2018 | 0.032% | 25,259 |
| 2019 | 0.031% | 39,095 |
| 2020 | 0.034% | 100,518 |
| 2021 | 0.031% | 119,936 |
| 2022 | 0.035% | 131,455 |
| 2023 | 0.041% | 155,431 |
| 2024 | 0.045% | 161,379 |
| 2025 | 0.047% | 164,792 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.051% | 55,673 |
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: Exchange Variation, Rubinstein Variation (B13)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-exchange-variation-rubinstein-variation