Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack
The Two Knights Attack against the Caro-Kann Defense (1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3) can also arise from 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
6,855,405 games: White 49.5% / Draw 5.6% / Black 44.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,768,3493.8M | ||
| Mindeno Variation | 1,724,7341.7M | |
| 652,535653K | ||
| 335,290335K | ||
| 192,649193K | ||
| 65,96166K | ||
| 60,87761K | ||
| 22,36122K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 21, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.21 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... Bg4 4. h3 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 e6 6. d4 Nf6 7. Be2 dxe4 8. Qe3
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 49% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2M | |
| 1400–1799 | 3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 4.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 1.1M | |
| Masters, over the board | 9,142 |
Master games
- Firouzja, A. – Carlsen, M.
- Vachier Lagrave, M. – Carlsen, M.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Duda, J. – Carlsen, M.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
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 Two Knights Attack against the Caro-Kann Defense (1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3) can also arise from 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3. White develops both knights quickly and keeps options open for the d-pawn. Bobby Fischer played it in his youth, but it has since declined in popularity.
Main lines
- 3...Bg4, the Mindeno Variation, Black's logical and probably best reply. After 4.h3:
- 4...Bxf3 5.Qxf3, the Exchange Line, the positional continuation, when Black can choose between 5...Nf6 and 5...e6.
- 4...Bh5, the Retreat Line, is playable, but Black must be careful. In Noteboom–Mindeno, 1927, Black lost quickly after 5.exd5 cxd5 6.g4 Bg6 7.Ne5 a6?, where 7...Nc6 was necessary.
- 3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 hides a trap for Black players who continue as in the Classical Variation: 4...Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Ne5 Bh7 8.Qh5 g6 9.Bc4 e6 (9...gxh5 10.Bxf7#), and after 10.Qf3 or 10.Qe2 White has a huge advantage. After 10.Qe2, Lasker–Radsheer, 1908, and Alekhine–Bruce, 1938, ended quickly with 10...Bg7 and 10...Nf6, both met by 11.Nxf7; the best defence is 10...Qe7. Black should prefer 5...Bg4, and 4...Nd7 is also playable. After 3...dxe4, 4.Ng5 is the Hector Gambit.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Fast development, with White's d-pawn still free to go to d3 or d4.
- Traps for opponents who play it like a Classical Caro-Kann.
Weaknesses
- 3...Bg4 gives Black a logical and sound answer.
- It has declined in popularity since Fischer played it.
Who should play it
The Two Knights Attack suits White players who want to leave the main Caro-Kann theory behind and play a flexible, developing system.
The numbers
On Lichess Black is slightly ahead under 1400, 48.9% against 47.1%, and White leads from there on: 48.8% against 47.2% at 1400–1799, 49.7% against 44.7% at 1800–2199, and 48.2% against 43.6% from 2200 up. In about 9,100 master games White won 32.1%, Black 27.0%, and 40.9% were drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack
3…Bg4 (Mindeno Variation) scores best for Black: 51.0%, with Black winning 48.1% and White 46.1% of 1.7M games. The most played, 3…dxe4, scores 46.6% in 3.8M games, and 3…d4 scores lowest: 43.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…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: Two Knights Attack is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.31% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.14%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.14% | 49,688 |
| 2017 | 0.18% | 101,031 |
| 2018 | 0.21% | 167,452 |
| 2019 | 0.21% | 261,395 |
| 2020 | 0.22% | 640,644 |
| 2021 | 0.23% | 912,630 |
| 2022 | 0.28% | 1,034,520 |
| 2023 | 0.29% | 1,079,009 |
| 2024 | 0.3% | 1,070,932 |
| 2025 | 0.31% | 1,079,898 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.31% | 345,246 |
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 (2)
All 4 named lines that continue from here
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: Two Knights Attack (B10)”. Lichess data as of 21 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-two-knights-attack