Caro-Kann Defense: Maróczy Variation, Maróczy Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
189,465 games: White 61.4% / Draw 3.8% / Black 34.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 46,14346K | ||
| 45,40345K | ||
| 20,00620K | ||
| 15,67716K | ||
| 13,74714K | ||
| 13,36913K | ||
| 9,5219,521 | ||
| 7,6217,621 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.68 White is slightly better
Best play: 6... Nd7 7. O-O Ngf6 8. Qe1 Nb6 9. Bb3 Be6 10. Nbd2 Be7 11. e5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1,364 | |
| 1400–1799 | 27K | |
| 1800–2199 | 135K | |
| 2200 and up | 33K | |
| Masters, over the board | 67 |
Master games
- Perunovic, M. – Lajthajm, B.
- Kapnisis, S. – Istratescu, A.
- Ni, H. – Annaberdiev, M.
- Smagin, S. – Peregudov, N.
- Tairova, E. – Zhao, X.
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: Maróczy Variation, Maróczy Gambit (ECO B12, Semi-Open Games) is a gambit in the Caro-Kann Defense: Maróczy Variation, reached after 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 dxe4 4. fxe4 e5 5. Nf3 exd4 6. Bc4 (6 moves).
In 189,465 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 61.4%, Black 34.7% and 3.8% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…Nf6, in 24% 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: Maróczy Variation, Maróczy Gambit
The most played answer, 6…Nf6, also scores best for Black: 40.5%, with Black winning 38.4% and White 57.4% of 46K games. Of the main answers, 6…Bg4 scores lowest: 26.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 6…Nd7.
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: Maróczy Variation, Maróczy Gambit is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.0097% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0046%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0046% | 1,640 |
| 2017 | 0.0053% | 2,929 |
| 2018 | 0.0055% | 4,286 |
| 2019 | 0.0049% | 6,052 |
| 2020 | 0.0046% | 13,440 |
| 2021 | 0.0054% | 21,041 |
| 2022 | 0.0068% | 25,349 |
| 2023 | 0.0089% | 33,435 |
| 2024 | 0.0092% | 32,962 |
| 2025 | 0.0097% | 33,746 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0099% | 10,847 |
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: Maróczy Variation, Maróczy Gambit (B12)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-maroczy-variation-maroczy-gambit