English Opening: Caro-Kann Defensive System
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Statistics from Lichess
6,525,530 games: White 48.1% / Draw 6.0% / Black 45.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,091,6613.1M | ||
| 930,198930K | ||
| 890,192890K | ||
| 568,519569K | ||
| Caro-Kann Defense: Accelerated Panov Attack | 460,481460K | |
| 303,272303K | ||
| 104,880105K | ||
| 86,90187K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.22 The position is about equal
Best play: 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 d5 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Be4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 49% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 42% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 825K | |
| 1400–1799 | 2.6M | |
| 1800–2199 | 4M | |
| 2200 and up | 945K | |
| Masters, over the board | 16K |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Anand, V.
- Caruana, F. – Giri, A.
- Kramnik, V. – Aronian, L.
- Topalov, V. – Caruana, F.
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
English Opening: Caro-Kann Defensive System (ECO A11, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening, reached after 1. c4 c6 (1 move).
In 6,525,530 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.1%, Black 45.9% and 6.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. Nc3, in 47% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Réti Opening: Anglo-Slav Variation, with g3 and Réti Opening: Anglo-Slav Variation, Gurevich System. In all, 10 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the English Opening: Caro-Kann Defensive System
2. Nf3 scores best for White: 53.9%, with White winning 50.4% and Black 42.7% of 569K games. The most played answer, 2. Nc3, scores lowest: 50.2% in 3.1M games. Stockfish's first choice is also 2. Nf3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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 English Opening: Caro-Kann Defensive System has gained ground since 2016: 0.28% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.18%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.18% | 63,619 |
| 2017 | 0.22% | 122,838 |
| 2018 | 0.25% | 197,282 |
| 2019 | 0.25% | 315,168 |
| 2020 | 0.25% | 718,099 |
| 2021 | 0.23% | 917,367 |
| 2022 | 0.24% | 906,190 |
| 2023 | 0.25% | 943,006 |
| 2024 | 0.26% | 949,686 |
| 2025 | 0.28% | 968,542 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.28% | 311,524 |
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)
Transpositions
All 10 named lines that continue from here
- A11 Réti Opening: Anglo-Slav Variation, Gurevich System 3 moves
- A11 Réti Opening: Anglo-Slav Variation, with g3 4 moves
- A11 Réti Opening: Anglo-Slav Variation, with g3 4 moves
- A11 Gurevich System 4 moves
- A11 Gurevich System 5 moves
- A11 Gurevich System 5 moves
- A11 Gurevich System 5 moves
- A11 with g3 4 moves
- A11 with g3 4 moves
- A11 with g3 6 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: Caro-Kann Defensive System (A11)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-caro-kann-defensive-system