What is the Caro-Kann Defense expected score for White?
Overall, the Caro-Kann Defense family has a 50.3% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 50.3% and 50.3%), aggregated from 91 variations and 110M Lichess games.
91 variations · 110M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Caro-Kann Defense is balanced for White at 50.3% expected score.
This opening produces roughly even results, with outcomes depending more on middlegame play than opening choice.
Player-controlled continuations for White · Overall
Continuations show the most common variations from this opening. Higher expected scores indicate better statistical outcomes, but familiarity and playstyle matter too.
Overall, the Caro-Kann Defense family has a 50.3% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 50.3% and 50.3%), aggregated from 91 variations and 110M Lichess games.
Improves with rating: 46% → 52%
Similar across time controls (~49%)
Click cells to filter · White expected scores
Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-999 | |||||
| 1000-1199 | |||||
| 1200-1399 | |||||
| 1400-1599 | |||||
| 1600-1799 | |||||
| 1800-1999 | |||||
| 2000-2199 | |||||
| 2200-2499 | |||||
| 2500+ |
Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control
Matrix view reveals how performance varies across rating brackets and time controls. Green indicates favorable, red indicates challenging contexts.
The Caro-Kann Defense family has a 48.2% (90% CI: 48.2%-48.2%) win rate for white, aggregated from 91 variations and 110M rated games from Lichess.
This analysis covers 91 Caro-Kann Defense variations with sufficient game data. Each variation has its own statistics page with detailed win rates by rating and time control.
The Caro-Kann Defense family performs best at 2500+ Elo with a 51.6% win rate for white (1.5M games). Performance may vary by specific variation.
Bullet (48.6%) outperforms Classical (46.0%) by 2.6% across all Caro-Kann Defense variations.
Caro-Kann Defense games are 95.9% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 34 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.
The Caro-Kann Defense family is statistically balanced overall with a 48.2% (90% CI: 48.2%-48.2%) aggregated win rate. However, win rates vary significantly between the 91 variations—explore individual lines to find the best fit for your style.