Caro-Kann Defense
You play Black · 59 variations
Mixed practice
The machine picks a different variation every time.
Take a quiz
10 positions: find the next theory move in each. No take-backs, no hints.
Main variations · 27
- Advance Variation, Van der Wiel AttackB121. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nc3 e6 5. g4 Bg6 6. Nge2 c5 7. h47 moves
- Classical Variation, Lobron SystemB191. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bd2 Ngf6 12. O-O-O Be712 moves
- Classical Variation, Seirawan VariationB191. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 Ngf6 11. Bd2 e6 12. O-O-O Bd612 moves
- Classical Variation, Flohr VariationB181. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. Nh36 moves
- Classical Variation, Maróczy AttackB181. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. f46 moves
- Karpov Variation, Modern Main LineB171. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. Bd3 e6 7. N1f3 Bd6 8. Qe2 h6 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Qxe410 moves
- Karpov Variation, Smyslov Variation, Main LineB171. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Bc4 Ngf6 6. Ng5 e6 7. Qe2 Nb6 8. Bb38 moves
- Karpov Variation, Tiviakov-Fischer AttackB171. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Bc4 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ Nxf66 moves
- Karpov Variation, Modern Variation, Kasparov AttackB171. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Ng36 moves
- Karpov Variation, Modern Variation, Ivanchuk DefenseB171. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ndf65 moves
- Exchange Variation, Rubinstein VariationB131. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf46 moves
- Panov AttackB141. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Nf3 e6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bb5 Bd6 9. Bg5 O-O 10. O-O10 moves
- Panov AttackB141. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Nf3 e6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bb5 Bg48 moves
- Panov AttackB141. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nf3 e6 7. c57 moves
- Panov Attack, Main LineB141. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Bb46 moves
- Panov Attack, Fianchetto Defense, Fianchetto GambitB141. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. cxd5 Bg76 moves
- Panov Attack, Modern Defense, Carlsbad LineB131. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e66 moves
- Panov Attack, Modern Defense, Czerniak LineB131. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 Qa56 moves
- Panov Attack, Modern Defense, Mieses LineB131. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bg46 moves
- Panov Attack, Modern Defense, Reifir-Spielmann LineB131. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 Qb66 moves
- Panov Attack, Gunderam AttackB131. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. c55 moves
- Maróczy Variation, Maróczy GambitB121. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 dxe4 4. fxe4 e5 5. Nf3 exd4 6. Bc46 moves
- Bronstein-Larsen VariationB161. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ gxf65 moves
- Tartakower Variation, Perlis LineB151. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Qc2 h68 moves
- Advance Variation, Short VariationB121. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Nd7 6. O-O Ne7 7. Nbd2 h6 8. Nb3 g5 9. a4 Bg7 10. a5 Qc710 moves
- Advance Variation, Tal VariationB121. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 h5 5. Bd3 Bxd3 6. Qxd3 Qa5+ 7. Nd2 e6 8. Nf3 Nh6 9. O-O Nf5 10. Nb3 Qa610 moves
- Advance Variation, Bayonet AttackB121. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. g4 Be4 5. f3 Bg6 6. e6 Qd6 7. exf7+ Bxf77 moves
Other variations · 32
- Accelerated Panov Attack, Modern VariationB101. e4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. cxd5 Nf64 moves
- Accelerated Panov Attack, Van Weersel AttackB101. e4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Qb34 moves
- Accelerated Panov Attack, Pseudo-ScandinavianB101. e4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. exd5 Qxd53 moves
- Labahn Attack, Double GambitB101. e4 c6 2. b4 d5 3. b53 moves
- Labahn Attack, Polish VariationB101. e4 c6 2. b4 e5 3. Bb23 moves
- Advance, Short VariationB121. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. c3 e6 5. Be25 moves
- Alekhine GambitB151. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Bd35 moves
- Alien GambitB151. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Ng5 h6 6. Nxf76 moves
- Apocalypse AttackB101. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Ne54 moves
- Breyer Variation, Stein AttackB101. e4 c6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 g6 4. Ngf3 Bg7 5. g3 e5 6. Bg2 Ne7 7. O-O O-O 8. b48 moves
- Campomanes AttackB151. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf63 moves
- De Bruycker DefenseB121. e4 c6 2. d4 Na6 3. Nc3 Nc73 moves
- Dinic GambitB101. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d3 dxe4 4. Ng54 moves
- Edinburgh VariationB121. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Qb63 moves
- Endgame VariationB101. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d3 dxe4 4. dxe4 Qxd1+ 5. Kxd15 moves
- Finnish VariationB161. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 h64 moves
- Forgacs VariationB151. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. Bc46 moves
- Goldman VariationB101. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Qf33 moves
- Gurgenidze CounterattackB151. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 b53 moves
- Gurgenidze SystemB151. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 g63 moves
- Hillbilly Attack, Schaeffer GambitB101. e4 c6 2. Bc4 d5 3. Bb3 dxe4 4. Qh54 moves
- Martian GambitB181. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng5 Bg6 6. N1f3 h6 7. Ne67 moves
- Mieses Attack, Landau GambitB121. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Bd3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. e65 moves
- Mieses GambitB121. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Be33 moves
- Panov-Botvinnik, Herzog DefenseB131. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 dxc4 7. d5 Na57 moves
- Rasa-Studier GambitB151. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. f34 moves
- Scorpion-Horus GambitB101. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d3 dxe4 4. Bg54 moves
- Spike Variation, Scorpion-Grob GambitB101. e4 c6 2. g4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. d34 moves
- St. Patrick's AttackB101. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. h33 moves
- Toikkanen GambitB101. e4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. e53 moves
- Ulysses GambitB121. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Ng54 moves
- von Hennig GambitB151. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Bc44 moves
What is the Caro-Kann Defense?
The Caro-Kann Defense starts 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5. Like the French, it challenges e4 at once, but because ...d5 is prepared with the c-pawn, the light-squared bishop stays free to develop outside the pawn chain. It is known as one of the most solid answers to 1.e4, mainstream at every level, with sound pawn structures, few early tactical risks and good endgames for Black.
Main ideas and plans
In the Classical Variation, 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, you develop the bishop actively, exchange it for one of White's best minor pieces and then complete development with ...e6, ...Ngf6, ...Be7 or ...Bd6 and ...Qc7, often castling long. The Karpov Variation, 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7, prepares ...Ngf6 so that you can recapture on f6 with a knight and keep a healthy structure. Your typical freeing breaks are ...c5 and, more rarely, ...e5.
In the Advance Variation, 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5, you get the bishop out first and then play ...e6, ...c5 and ...Nc6 to attack d4: a French-like structure, but with your bishop already outside the chain. White chooses between the calm Short Variation with Nf3 and Be2 and sharper tries such as h4 (the Tal Variation) or g4 (the Bayonet Attack), which hunt your bishop. Against the Panov Attack, 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3, you get positions where White has an isolated queen's pawn; your plan is to blockade the d5 square, exchange pieces and target the isolated pawn, while White looks for kingside activity.
Who is it for?
The Caro-Kann suits solid, positional players who value a sound structure and are comfortable in endgames. It is a practical choice at club level because White's aggressive tries can be met with clear plans. The downside is that passive play can leave you without counterplay, especially in the Advance Variation, where you must hit back with ...c5 at the right moment. One trap to know in the Karpov Variation: after 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Qe2 Ngf6 6.Nd6 it is mate, because the e7 pawn is pinned, so never play ...Ngf6 automatically while White's queen stands on e2.