Caro-Kann Defense: von Hennig Gambit
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Statistics from Lichess
326,790 games: White 55.0% / Draw 4.1% / Black 40.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 211,388211K | ||
| 69,26369K | ||
| 20,45120K | ||
| 11,86812K | ||
| 4,1944,194 | ||
| 4,0834,083 | ||
| 2,5802,580 | ||
| 794794 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.58 Black is slightly better
Best play: 4... Nf6 5. Nge2 Bf5 6. Ng3 e6 7. O-O Bg6 8. Qe2 Qxd4 9. Bf4
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 53% under 1400, 55% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 30K | |
| 1400–1799 | 117K | |
| 1800–2199 | 207K | |
| 2200 and up | 43K | |
| Masters, over the board | 23 |
Master games
- Short, N. D. – Bareev, E.
- Pruess, D. – Kacheishvili, G.
- Trofimov, V. M. – Kozlov, A. A.
- Berger, S. – Naumann, A.
- Kuipers, E. – De Jong, J.
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: von Hennig Gambit (ECO B15, Semi-Open Games) is a gambit in the Caro-Kann Defense, reached after 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Bc4 (4 moves).
In 326,790 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 55.0%, Black 40.9% and 4.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Nf6, in 65% 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: von Hennig Gambit
4…Bf5 scores best for Black: 45.0%, with Black winning 43.2% and White 53.1% of 69K games. The most played, 4…Nf6, scores 42.4% in 211K games, and 4…e6 scores lowest: 41.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 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: von Hennig Gambit is played more than seven times as often as in 2016: 0.027% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0036%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0036% | 1,284 |
| 2017 | 0.0056% | 3,064 |
| 2018 | 0.0059% | 4,616 |
| 2019 | 0.0052% | 6,445 |
| 2020 | 0.0058% | 16,848 |
| 2021 | 0.0057% | 22,379 |
| 2022 | 0.0066% | 24,890 |
| 2023 | 0.0093% | 34,899 |
| 2024 | 0.02% | 72,263 |
| 2025 | 0.027% | 94,526 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.033% | 35,913 |
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: von Hennig Gambit (B15)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-von-hennig-gambit