Openings › Caro-Kann Defense
Caro-Kann Defense: results by Lichess rating and time control
1.e4 c6
Data period: games from 1 Sep 2026 – 30 Sep 2026 (sample of the Lichess open database) · Page updated: 3 Oct 2026
At a glance
- In this sample, White's score ranged from 49.7% (1500–1799) to 51.9% (2100+).
- Treat this spread with caution: the margins are approximate (see How it works).
- It appeared most often in the 1800–2099 group (5.9% of that group's games).
- Draws were most common in the 2100+ group (5.9%).
These are observed results for the selected games (rated, players within 200 rating points of each other). They describe what happened — they do not prove the opening caused the result.
Results by Lichess rating level
Each row shows how the Caro-Kann Defense games at one rating level ended: White wins, draws and Black wins, across all time controls combined. Rating level is the average Lichess rating of both players.
Share of games won by White, drawn, won by Black. Rating level = average of both players.
Swipe the table sideways to see all columns →
| Rating level | Games | White wins | Draws | Black wins | White's score (±95%) | How common |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1200 | 2,721 | 48.3% | 3.3% | 48.3% | 50.0% ±1.8 | 4.2% |
| 1200–1499 | 5,163 | 48.5% | 3.7% | 47.8% | 50.3% ±1.3 | 5.2% |
| 1500–1799 | 7,288 | 47.7% | 4.1% | 48.2% | 49.7% ±1.1 | 5.6% |
| 1800–2099 | 6,376 | 48.7% | 4.4% | 46.9% | 50.9% ±1.2 | 5.9% |
| 2100+ | 2,971 | 49.0% | 5.9% | 45.2% | 51.9% ±1.7 | 5.6% |
"White's score" = wins + half of draws. "±" is an approximate 95% margin based only on the number of games. It does not cover sampling bias or related games (the same players appear many times), so real uncertainty is larger. "How common" = share of all sampled games at that level that reached this position. Ratings are Lichess ratings; they are not interchangeable with Chess.com or FIDE ratings.
Results by time control
Each row shows how the Caro-Kann Defense games ended in one Lichess time control, across all rating levels combined.
Swipe the table sideways to see all columns →
| Time control | Games | White wins | Draws | Black wins | White's score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet | 8,701 | 49.3% | 3.3% | 47.4% | 51.0% |
| Blitz | 11,516 | 48.5% | 4.4% | 47.1% | 50.7% |
| Rapid | 4,183 | 46.2% | 5.4% | 48.4% | 48.9% |
| Classical | 119 | Not enough games in this sample | |||
This table and the rating table are separate summaries: rating levels are not split by time control here, and time controls are not split by rating. Observed results only; approximate uncertainty applies as above.
Most played replies for White at each level
Top replies with at least 150 games. "Score" is White's score after that reply (wins + half of draws). These comparisons alone can't show that one reply is reliably better — the margins are approximate and stronger or weaker players may prefer different replies.
Swipe the table sideways to see all columns →
| Rating level | Reply · share · games · score |
|---|---|
| Under 1200 |
2.d4 ·33.1% · 900 · 49.5% ±3.2 2.Nf3 ·32.8% · 892 · 50.6% ±3.2 2.Bc4 ·12.3% · 335 · 46.9% ±5.2 |
| 1200–1499 |
2.d4 ·35.0% · 1,805 · 50.3% ±2.3 2.Nf3 ·34.0% · 1,752 · 50.2% ±2.3 2.Bc4 ·10.4% · 534 · 44.8% ±4.2 |
| 1500–1799 |
2.d4 ·40.7% · 2,961 · 51.8% ±1.8 2.Nf3 ·29.9% · 2,175 · 47.8% ±2.0 2.Nc3 ·8.5% · 619 · 51.1% ±3.9 |
| 1800–2099 |
2.d4 ·47.4% · 3,019 · 51.2% ±1.7 2.Nf3 ·24.8% · 1,579 · 49.6% ±2.4 2.Nc3 ·10.2% · 652 · 52.8% ±3.8 |
| 2100+ |
2.d4 ·53.6% · 1,592 · 52.1% ±2.4 2.Nf3 ·19.5% · 578 · 51.3% ±4.0 2.Nc3 ·13.6% · 404 · 53.8% ±4.7 |
Download these numbers: Caro-Kann Defense (CSV), released under CC0. For move-by-move exploration with your own filters, see the free Lichess opening explorer. This independent page lists each rating level and each time control in its own row for comparison.