For Black · ECO B10-B19
The Caro-Kann at your rating: what White really plays
White to move
Bar: how often the move is played. Colored figure: how it scores for the side that plays it (green is good, red is bad).
The Caro-Kann Defense (1.e4 c6) rating by rating: what White really plays from 1000 to 2200, the line to learn first, and the traps on both sides.
By valloch, founder of TatamiChess
Updated · Based on 81.2 million Lichess blitz and rapid games
In this guide
The short version
What you’ll face
At 1000-1200, 32% of opponents answer 1...c6 with , as many as play . From 2000 up, 2.d4 takes over (60%).
The line to learn first
The Advance, . At 1400-1600 it’s 52% of the games that start 2.d4 d5.
The gift
scores 46% for White at 1000-1200. Play 2...d5 and the center is yours.
The mate to avoid
After 4...Nd7 5.Qe2, never play 5...Ngf6. is mate, and 35% of 1400-1600 players walk into it.
What is the Caro-Kann Defense?
It’s , and on the next move ...d5. The c-pawn is there to support d5, so if White ever takes on d5 you take back with a pawn and keep a foothold in the center.
The French Defense (1...e6) builds the same kind of center, but it shuts the c8-bishop in behind the e6-pawn. In the Caro-Kann the bishop gets out first, to f5 or g4, and only then does ...e6 follow. That’s the whole idea, and you’ll see it in almost every line below.
It’s a defense people grow into. After 1.e4, 3% of players under 1000 answer 1...c6. At 2000-2200 it’s 10%.
A word from the other side of the board. I meet the Caro-Kann with White, and my weapon of choice is the Tal Variation, . It has won me a lot of games, so if you play the Caro-Kann, have your answer ready. You’ll find it further down, with the trap that catches most people.
What White plays at your rating
Pick your rating in the chart at the top. Courses spend most of their pages on 2.d4, and at the top that makes sense: masters play it in 80% of their games. Club games look different. At 1000-1200, only 32% of White players go 2.d4, and just as many play (32%). Then come (12%) and (8%).
By 2000-2200, 2.d4 is up to 60% and 2.Nf3 down to 19%. So learn the main lines, and keep an answer to 2.Nf3 ready too. The good news is that it’s the same answer almost every time: 2...d5, which 90% of 1000-1200 players choose after 2.Nf3.
Your games, scored
How do you really score with the Caro-Kann?
Enter your chess.com or Lichess username. TatamiChess scores every opening you play, shows the ones costing you points, then trains you against what players at your rating actually play.
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The Advance Variation (3.e5)
After , the club player’s favorite is . It’s 49% of games at 1000-1200 and 52% at 1400-1600. At 2000-2200 it drops to 31%, level with the Exchange.
White to move
Bar: how often the move is played. Colored figure: how it scores for the side that plays it (green is good, red is bad).
White grabs space and locks the center. Your job is to get the light-squared bishop out with before you play ...e6, then hit the center with ...c5. Here’s what each level plays after 3.e5:
3...Bf5 is the main move. is the punchy alternative, and it does even better at club level: 53% for Black at 1400-1600, against 51% for 3...Bf5. The move to avoid is ?!, which locks the bishop in for good. Under 1000, 18% of players choose it, and they score 44%.
4.Nf3, the one to prepare
White to move
Bar: how often the move is played. Colored figure: how it scores for the side that plays it (green is good, red is bad).
At club level comes first (37% at 1000-1200) and second (21%). The sharp stuff shows up later: at 2000-2200, is 18% of games and 13%.
Against 4.Nf3, play . Club players follow up with 5.Bd3 (32% at 1000-1200). Stronger players prefer , the Short Variation: 45% at 2000-2200 and 96% among masters.
Either way the plan doesn’t change. After , bring the knight to c6 and the queen to b6, all aimed at d4. White’s center looks big, but it needs defending every move. Against 5.Bd3, trade with 5...Bxd3 6.Qxd3 first, then carry on with ...c5.
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4.Bd3: take the trade
offers to swap bishops. Take it: is the normal line, and Black scores 49% with 4...Bxd3 at 1000-1200.
The costly habit is 4...e6?. White takes on f5 and you’re left with doubled f-pawns and nothing to cover the light squares. Under 1000, 30% of players do it, and they score 44%.
The Tal Variation (4.h4) and 4.g4
Stronger players like to chase the bishop with pawns. At 2000-2200, , the Tal Variation, scores 56% for White, the best result of any common fourth move. The answer is : stop the pawn before it gets to h5. 61% of 2000-2200 players do exactly that.
TrapThe bishop trap after 4.h4
Play the natural 4...e6? and the bishop runs out of squares: . It can’t go back to h7, where its own pawn sits, and every other square is covered. The best you can get is a pawn for it.
It catches a lot of people. At 1000-1200, 56% of players answer 4.h4 with 4...e6, and they score 33%.
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That trap has won me plenty of games, and so has the Advance in general: it leads to sharp, tactical positions. If it happens to you, don’t resign straight away. Even a piece down, the game is often far from over.
After , 5.Bg5 is White’s second most popular try at 2000-2200 (22%). It sets up my favorite trick.
TrapMy favorite trick: 8.e6!!
After , the b2-pawn looks free, and plenty of players take it with ?. Then comes !!, and if Black grabs the rook too, ! leaves White’s queen hitting b7 and the e6-pawn hitting f7.
Black is lost whatever comes next: even the best defense, , leaves White winning. Declining the rook doesn’t save Black either, since 8.e6 already gives White a clear edge. The fix comes a move earlier: play and leave the pawn alone.
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Against , the main line is , then ...h5 or ...h6 as soon as White plays h4. At 2000-2200 the quiet retreat has caught on (23%), and it scores 54%.
The Exchange Variation (3.exd5 cxd5)
The Exchange gives Black an easy game, and at club level it comes in a version the books barely mention. Here’s what White plays after :
White to move
Bar: how often the move is played. Colored figure: how it scores for the side that plays it (green is good, red is bad).
Under 1600, the most common move is (44% at 1000-1200). It develops a piece and not much else: White scores 47% with it at 1400-1600. Answer with ...Nf6 and ...Nc6 and get on with your game.
is the other club favorite (15% under 1000). Block with ...Nc6 or ...Bd7, both fine. After White has traded off a good bishop for nothing, and the check scores 45% at 1000-1200.
At 2000-2200 the Exchange becomes two real systems: (33%) and the Panov, (30%).
The Carlsbad structure (4.Bd3)
Against 4.Bd3, 55% of 2000-2200 players go 4...Nc6, and masters almost always do (86%). After , the pawns look like a Queen’s Gambit with the colors reversed.
That tells you the plan. Play ...e6 and ...Bd6 to trade the dark-squared bishops, use the open c-file, and push your b-pawn to b4. White’s c3-pawn becomes a target and the queenside is where you win. Watch out for Qb3 hitting b7 along the way.
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The Panov (4.c4)
is the ambitious choice, and it scores 53% for White at 2000-2200. The usual setup is . These positions often end with White on an isolated d-pawn: lively pieces for White, a long-term target for you. Blockade the pawn on d5 and trade pieces, since every trade makes it weaker.
The Classical (3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4)
After , take on e4. 85% of 2000-2200 players do, and 93% of masters. At 1000-1200 only 45% do it, and the alternatives score a bit worse (3...Nf6: 47%, against 49% for 3...dxe4).
Black to move
Bar: how often the move is played. Colored figure: how it scores for the side that plays it (green is good, red is bad).
Then 4...Bf5 is the club move: 59% of games at 1400-1600. At 2000-2200, 4...Nf6 takes over (47%, against 37% for 4...Bf5).
The main line: 4...Bf5 5.Ng3
White kicks the bishop with , and the main line runs . The h-pawn gains space, and ...h6 gives the bishop a safe home on h7 when White pushes h5.
Plenty of club players skip 5.Ng3 for (37% at 1000-1200). It scores 50% for White, against 55% for 5.Ng3, so you’re already doing fine.
4...Nd7 and the six-move mate
is the Karpov Variation. The knight goes to d7 first so that ...Ngf6 can follow, and if White trades on f6 you take back with a knight instead of a pawn. Move order matters a lot here.
TrapThe Nd6 mate
After , the natural ?? walks into . The e7-pawn can’t take the knight because the queen on e2 pins it, and the king is boxed in by its own pieces.
White plays 5.Qe2 in 6% of games at 1400-1600 and scores 67% with it, because 35% of players at that level answer 5...Ngf6. The safe move is 5...Ndf6.
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invites . Club players take back toward the center with ...exf6 (88% at 1000-1200) and develop fast. ...gxf6 is the sharper choice, played in 32% of master games.
2.Nf3 and 2.Nc3
Here’s what White plays after :
White to move
Bar: how often the move is played. Colored figure: how it scores for the side that plays it (green is good, red is bad).
Most players trade with (46% at 1000-1200, 61% at 2000-2200). Take back with the pawn. White usually follows with (67% at 1400-1600) and you’re in a quiet Exchange Variation. Develop with ...Nc6, ...Nf6 and ...Bg4.
If White pushes , the bishop belongs on g4. pins the knight that guards e5, and ...e6 and ...c5 come next. It scores 54% for Black at 1400-1600, against 51% for 3...Bf5.
The Two Knights (2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3)
2.Nc3 usually turns into the Two Knights after . The reliable answer is , and after most players give up the bishop: . White has the bishop pair, and you have a solid center and an easy game.
57% of 1000-1200 players take on f3, and masters do it 89% of the time. The retreat 4...Bh5 scores a little better at club level (53%) if you want a sharper game.
2.Bc4 and the Hillbilly Attack
aims at f7, which works against 1...e5. Against the Caro-Kann it runs into 2...d5 and has to move again. White scores 46% with it under 1000 and 46% at 1400-1600, one of the worst results of any common second move. After you have a pawn in the center and the bishop has nothing to bite on.
The one version to know is the Hillbilly Attack, . Below 2000 it’s harmless: White scores 43% at 1000-1200. At 2000-2200 the people who play it have prepared it, and it scores 55%. The point is , with queen and bishop both hitting f7.
Block with . Engines like Black’s position, and so do the results at 2000-2200: 45% for 4...e6, against 41% for 4...g6. Then develop with ...Nf6 and keep your extra pawn.
The Fantasy Variation (3.f3)
is rare (4% at 1000-1200), but it gets more dangerous the higher you go. Taking on e4 opens lines for White: Black scores 48% with 3...dxe4 at 1000-1200 and 42% at 2000-2200. In you’re a pawn up, and White has all the fun.
One answer is enough: . The center stays closed and the pawn on f3 just takes a square from White’s knight. It scores 51% at 1000-1200 and 48% at 2000-2200, and it’s what masters choose most (48%).
Before your first Caro-Kann
If you’re around 1200 and thinking of switching: it’s a tough choice, but the Caro-Kann will teach you a lot of fundamentals and defensive patterns. And at that level it can throw off opponents who don’t know any theory against it.
Cheat sheet
Facing it with White
- Below 2000, 3.e5 and 4.Nf3 give you space with very little to learn.
- From 1800, try the Tal Variation, 4.h4, against 3...Bf5. It scores 56% at 2000-2200.
- Skip 2.Bc4. If you want the bishop out early, the Hillbilly (3.Bb3) is the only version that scores.
- In the Karpov line, 5.Qe2 sets up the Nd6 mate.
- In the Tal Variation, if Black grabs b2 after 7.Qxd3, play 8.e6!!.
Playing the Caro-Kann
- Answer almost everything with 2...d5.
- In the Advance: 3...Bf5, 4...e6, then ...c5, ...Nc6 and ...Qb6 against d4.
- Against 4.h4, play 4...h5 at once. 4...e6? loses the bishop.
- After 5.Bg5 Qb6 6.Bd3 Bxd3 7.Qxd3, play 7...e6. Never 7...Qxb2: 8.e6!! punishes it.
- Against 4.Bd3, trade bishops. Never 4...e6.
- After 4...Nd7 5.Qe2, play 5...Ndf6. Never 5...Ngf6.
- Against 3.f3, play 3...e6.
Train it at your level
The charts show the average player at each rating. Your own games are more useful: they show which of these lines you actually reach, and where you drop points. TatamiChess reads your chess.com or Lichess games, scores the Caro-Kann line by line, then builds your repertoire around what people at your rating really play. So you drill 2.Nf3 and the Advance first, and leave the Panov for later.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Caro-Kann good for beginners?
Yes. The structure is solid, the plans repeat from line to line (bishop out, then ...e6 and ...c5), and you avoid the sharp open games that follow 1...e5. Prepare more than the main lines, though: at 1000-1200 on Lichess, 32% of opponents answer 1...c6 with 2.Nf3, as many as play 2.d4.
What is the best line against the Caro-Kann?
For most club players, the Advance (3.e5) with 4.Nf3: it gains space and there’s little to memorize. From around 1800, the Tal Variation (4.h4 against 3...Bf5) is the most dangerous try, scoring 56% for White at 2000-2200.
How do you play against the Advance Variation?
Develop the bishop with 3...Bf5 before playing ...e6, then attack d4 with ...c5, ...Nc6 and ...Qb6. Against 4.Bd3, trade bishops. Against 4.h4, play 4...h5 at once, because 4...e6? 5.g4 traps the bishop. At 1000-1200, 56% of players fall for it.
What is the famous Caro-Kann trap?
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Qe2 Ngf6?? 6.Nd6#. The e7-pawn is pinned, so nothing can take the knight. 35% of 1400-1600 players who reach 5.Qe2 on Lichess play 5...Ngf6. Play 5...Ndf6 instead.
Is the Hillbilly Attack good?
Objectively no: after 2.Bc4 d5 3.Bb3 dxe4 4.Qh5 e6, engines prefer Black. In practice it depends on the level. White scores 43% with 3.Bb3 at 1000-1200 and 55% at 2000-2200, where the players who choose it know it well.
Should I play the Caro-Kann or the French?
Both meet 1.e4 with ...d5. The French plays 1...e6 first and accepts a blocked light-squared bishop in exchange for counterplay against White’s center. The Caro-Kann gets that bishop out before ...e6, so the games are usually calmer and the endgames easier. If you dislike passive pieces, start with the Caro-Kann.
Your games, scored
How do you really score with the Caro-Kann?
Enter your chess.com or Lichess username. TatamiChess scores every opening you play, shows the ones costing you points, then trains you against what players at your rating actually play.
Free, no account needed.