Caro-Kann Defense: Hillbilly Attack
The Hillbilly Attack is 1.e4 c6 2.Bc4, an offbeat answer to the Caro-Kann Defense. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
6,299,524 games: White 42.7% / Draw 4.4% / Black 52.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 5,645,7595.6M | ||
| 299,672300K | ||
| 164,406164K | ||
| 35,68336K | ||
| 31,87732K | ||
| 30,87831K | ||
| Bishop's Opening: Philidor Counterattack | 23,91524K | |
| 14,15214K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 1, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.27 The position is about equal
Best play: 2... d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bb5+ Bd7 5. Bxd7+ Qxd7 6. d4 Nc6 7. c3
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 better this line does for White: White scores 46% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 5M | |
| 1400–1799 | 7.5M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.6M | |
| 2200 and up | 72K | |
| Masters, over the board | 19 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – So, W.
- Carlsen, M. – Tomashevsky, E.
- Firouzja, A. – Cheparinov, I.
- Williams, S. K. – Jones, G. C.
- Berg, E. – Hillarp Persson, T.
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 26, 2026
Description
The Hillbilly Attack is 1.e4 c6 2.Bc4, an offbeat answer to the Caro-Kann Defense. It has an inferior reputation, because after 2...d5 3.exd5 cxd5 White must move the bishop again and loses a tempo. It has nevertheless emerged as a surprise weapon in online blitz.
The gambit with 3.Bb3
The reason is the gambit line 2...d5 3.Bb3, advocated by Simon Williams. If Black accepts the pawn with 3...dxe4, White may play 4.Qh5, aiming at f7, which is defended only by Black's king. Black usually blunts the threat with 4...g6 or 4...e6.
The name
Williams attributes the name to National Master Jack Young, who allegedly used it to describe the unrefined nature of the move and claimed to have invented it in 1988. Williams played it as early as 2011 and featured it in his "Spicy Gambits" series in 2015.
The numbers
On Lichess Black wins 52.9% of the 6.3 million games and White 42.7%. Black's lead holds through most rating bands, but from 2200 up the results are nearly even, 47.1% for Black against 46.9%. There are only 19 master games, too few to judge.
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Popularity by year
The Caro-Kann Defense: Hillbilly Attack has gained ground since 2016: 0.26% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.19%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.19% | 69,027 |
| 2017 | 0.18% | 100,503 |
| 2018 | 0.18% | 137,691 |
| 2019 | 0.19% | 231,321 |
| 2020 | 0.19% | 562,141 |
| 2021 | 0.24% | 953,115 |
| 2022 | 0.27% | 995,857 |
| 2023 | 0.27% | 1,007,183 |
| 2024 | 0.27% | 956,851 |
| 2025 | 0.26% | 903,453 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.26% | 280,741 |
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)
Transpositions
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Caro–Kann Defence, version of 20 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Caro-Kann Defense: Hillbilly Attack (B10)”. Lichess data as of 1 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-hillbilly-attack