B15

Caro-Kann Defense: Gurgenidze System

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Statistics from Lichess

356,367 games: White 49.1% / Draw 5.3% / Black 45.6%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	107,587108K
	102,260102K
	43,65244K
	22,22522K
	16,51517K
	12,58513K
	11,33411K
	9,3679,367

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.93 White is better

Best play: 4. e5 Bf5 5. h3 h5 6. Nf3 Nd7 7. Be3 e6 8. Qd2 a6

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 48% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 44% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	82K
1400–1799	141K
1800–2199	201K
2200 and up	75K
Masters, over the board	2,026

Master games

Leko, P. – Kamsky, G. ½–½, 2013
Dominguez Perez, L. – Kamsky, G. 1–0, 2013
Movsesian, S. – Svidler, P. ½–½, 2009
Mamedyarov, S. – Svidler, P. 1–0, 2008
Sjugirov, S. – Nakamura, H. 0–1, 2022

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: Gurgenidze System (ECO B15, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Caro-Kann Defense, reached after 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 g6 (3 moves).

In 356,367 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.1%, Black 45.6% and 5.3% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. e5, in 30% of those games.

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Description

How to play against the Caro-Kann Defense: Gurgenidze System

4. Be3 scores best for White: 54.0%, with White winning 51.5% and Black 43.5% of 22K games. The most played, 4. e5, scores 51.0% in 108K games, and 4. exd5 scores lowest: 49.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. e5.

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

The Caro-Kann Defense: Gurgenidze System dipped to 0.012% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.016% in 2025.

0.014%0.016%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.014%	5,102
2017	0.017%	9,219
2018	0.016%	12,688
2019	0.014%	17,563
2020	0.014%	39,860
2021	0.012%	47,439
2022	0.012%	45,697
2023	0.013%	48,045
2024	0.014%	50,126
2025	0.016%	54,946
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.017%	18,989

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: Gurgenidze System (B15)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-gurgenidze-system