- The moves1. e4 c6
- Chosen byBlack
- ECOB10–B19
The Caro-Kann comes after 1.e4 c6. The pawn on c6 prepares 2…d5, which strikes at e4. The idea is the same as in the French Defense, with one important difference: the pawn on e7 stays where it is, so the bishop on c8 can come out before Black plays …e6. The price is a tempo, since Black later often wants to play …c5 and so moves the same pawn twice.
The opening is named after the Englishman Horatio Caro and the Austrian Marcus Kann, who both analyzed it in 1886. It is considered one of the most solid answers to 1.e4 and is still played at the very top.
The main line, move by move
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3
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The ideas
White wants to
- Keep the extra space in the center that the pawn on d4 gives.
- Chase Black's bishop with the knight and the h-pawn and gain space on the kingside.
- In the Advance Variation: build a pawn chain and attack on the kingside, as in the French.
Black wants to
- Get the bishop on c8 out before …e6: what sets the Caro-Kann apart from the French.
- Play solidly and avoid weaknesses in the pawn structure.
- Strike back at the center with …c5 or …e5 once development is complete.
Important variations
Advance Variation: 3.e5
White takes space and closes the center. For a long time the move was thought to be weak, mainly after José Raúl Capablanca beat Aron Nimzowitsch with Black in New York in 1927, but in the 2000s it has become one of the most popular replies. Black gets the bishop out to f5 before …e6, just as planned. The quiet system with 4.Nf3, 5.Be2 and 6.Be3 was popularized by Nigel Short and was common in the 1990s.
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 c5 6. Be3
Panov Attack: 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4
Named after Vasily Panov and Mikhail Botvinnik. White trades in the center and then plays c4, and after the trades White usually gets an isolated queen's pawn on d4. The pawn can become a weakness in the endgame, but in the middlegame it gives White quick development, the e5 square and chances to attack.
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3
Korchnoi Variation: 4…Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6
Black trades knights and takes back with the e-pawn. The pawn structure gets worse, since White gets a pawn majority on the queenside, but Black gets quick development and open lines for the bishops. Viktor Korchnoi played the line many times, including in his first world championship match against Anatoly Karpov, and the Swedish grandmaster Ulf Andersson has used it too. It is also called the Tartakower Variation.
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6
The trap: smothered mate on move six
A trap in the 4…Nd7 line. White plays 5.Qe2, putting the queen on the e-file behind the knight on e4. If Black now develops the other knight to f6 without thinking, 6.Nd6# follows: the king can't move, because Black's own pieces are in the way, and the pawn on e7 can't take the knight, because the queen pins it. A smothered mate: a mate where the king is smothered by its own pieces.
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Qe2 Ngf6 6. Nd6#
6. Nd6#
Smothered mate. The pawn on e7 is pinned by the queen, and the king is boxed in by its own pieces.
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How it goes in real games
How the games ended once the position had come up on the board, in blitz, rapid and classical games. White wins, draws and Black wins, as a percentage of the games.
| Position | Level | Games | White wins | Draw | Black wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caro-Kann Defense 1. e4 c6 | Club players | 129,346,654 | 47% | 5% | 48% |
| Beginners | 73,888,100 | 47% | 4% | 49% | |
| Caro-Kann Defense, main line 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 | Club players | 773,679 | 49% | 8% | 44% |
| Beginners | 14,469 | 50% | 5% | 45% | |
| Advance Variation: 3.e5 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 c5 6. Be3 | Club players | 119,995 | 56% | 5% | 38% |
| Beginners | 9,835 | 56% | 3% | 41% | |
| Panov Attack: 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 | Club players | 1,462,064 | 49% | 6% | 44% |
| Beginners | 224,364 | 50% | 4% | 46% |
The most common continuations after 1. e4 c6
Club players, share of the games in the position.
- 2.d4 51% (65,499,877 games)
- 2.Nf3 25% (32,213,836 games)
- 2.Nc3 7% (8,930,786 games)
- 2.Bc4 5% (6,302,372 games)
- 2.f4 4% (5,809,315 games)
Source: games on Lichess, fetched October 28, 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, beginners games where they average 1000–1599.
Is this opening for you?
The Caro-Kann suits players who want a solid answer to 1.e4 without the sharp theory of the Sicilian and without the shut-in bishop of the French. Black rarely gets a weak pawn structure and can often go into an endgame with a clear conscience.
The Caro-Kann's reputation for being boring isn't really deserved. In many lines the players castle on opposite sides and the game gets sharp. But the foundation is safe, and that makes the opening popular at every level.
A famous game
Kasparov played the Caro-Kann with 4…Nd7 in the sixth game against Deep Blue in 1997 and lost after only nineteen moves. Deep Blue vs. Kasparov, Game 6
Practice the main line
Choose a color and one of the house players. Your opponent follows the main line, and you try to find your moves. If you play something else, you'll see the main line's move, but the game goes on. When the main line ends, you play freely.
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The main line with all the comments as text
1. e4 c6 The Caro-Kann. The pawn prepares …d5. 2. d4 d5 Black strikes at e4. 3. Nc3 The knight protects e4. 3.Nd2 usually leads to the same position. 3… dxe4 Black trades in the center. 4. Nxe4 White has a pawn in the center, Black has none. In return, Black's pawn structure has no weaknesses. 4… Bf5 The Classical Variation, also called the Capablanca Variation. The bishop comes out before …e6 closes the way, and it attacks the knight. 5. Ng3 The knight moves with tempo against the bishop. 5… Bg6 The bishop retreats but stays on the diagonal. 6. h4 White threatens h5, and then the bishop has no good square to run to. 6… h6 The bishop gets the retreat square h7. 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 White takes space on the kingside. The pawn can become a weapon, but also a weakness in an endgame. 8… Bh7 9. Bd3 White offers a trade of bishops. 9… Bxd3 10. Qxd3 The bishops are traded, and Black's pawn structure is healthy. Black goes on with …e6, …Ngf6 and often castles queenside, striking at the center with …c5 at the right moment.
More openings
French Defense
1…e6 and 2…d5. Black builds a wall and attacks White's pawn chain at the base.
Scandinavian Defense
1…d5 at once. Black forces an open game from the first move.
Sicilian Defense
1…c5 breaks the symmetry at once. Combative, sharp and loved by Fischer and Kasparov.
Slav Defense
2…c6: solid as a wall, and the bishop on c8 is free.
Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess.
Updated November 6, 2026
1… c6
The Caro-Kann. The pawn prepares …d5.