Caissa Codex
B15

Caro-Kann Defense: Main Line

Chess diagram: Caro-Kann Defense: Main Line after 4. Nxe4

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

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Statistics from Lichess

14,136,210 games: White 48.9% / Draw 6.1% / Black 45.0%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation 6,029,2476M
5,981,7226M
Caro-Kann Defense: Karpov Variation 1,744,1781.7M
114,039114K
84,86885K
66,75467K
Caro-Kann Defense: Finnish Variation 45,55246K
30,35330K

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 11, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.25 The position is about equal

Best play: 4... Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Qc2 c5 9. Ne2

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).

PlayersGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400 1.7M
1400–1799 4.7M
1800–2199 8.9M
2200 and up 2.2M
Masters, over the board 30K

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 26, 2026

Overview

Caro-Kann Defense: Main Line (ECO B15, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Caro-Kann Defense: Modern Variation, reached after 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 (4 moves).

In 14,136,210 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.9%, Black 45.0% and 6.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Bf5, in 43% of those games.

It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation and Caro-Kann Defense: Karpov Variation. In all, 17 named lines continue from it.

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How to play against the Caro-Kann Defense: Main Line

4…Nf6 scores best for Black: 49.1%, with Black winning 46.0% and White 47.8% of 6M games. The most played answer, 4…Bf5, scores lowest: 47.2% in 6M games. Stockfish's first choice is also 4…Nf6.

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: Main Line has gained ground since 2016: 0.63% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.44%.

Numbers by year
YearShare of gamesGames
20160.44%156,172
20170.54%296,699
20180.59%463,507
20190.54%677,397
20200.51%1,482,656
20210.48%1,888,513
20220.51%1,913,420
20230.53%2,000,607
20240.58%2,065,003
20250.63%2,186,508
2026 (Jan–Apr)0.67%739,132

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 (3)

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 3…dxe4 4. Nxe4, the position after Caro-Kann Defense: Modern Variation also goes on to:

Transpositions

This position is also reached from these lines, by another move order:

All 17 named lines that continue from here

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Caro-Kann Defense: Main Line (B15)”. Lichess data as of 11 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-main-line

https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-main-line