Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack
4.5M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
52.3%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.
Measured over 4.5M games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.2 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 4.5M games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 4.5M
- Best context
- 59.8% at 2500+ Rapid
- Worst context
- 44.8% at 1400-1599 Classical
- Average game length
- 34 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.8%
- Draws
- 4.2%
Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.
Where it holds · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 47.7% at 0-999, 57.1% at 2500+.
| 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
- 0-999 rating, UltraBullet: 46.6% expected score (460 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (48,205 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 48.5% expected score (68,039 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 48.6% expected score (41,958 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 47.3% expected score (269 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 44.9% expected score (1,283 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.5% expected score (94,991 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.3% expected score (93,975 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 49.8% expected score (54,010 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 48.8% expected score (1,157 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 47.1% expected score (2,427 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.4% expected score (169,583 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.6% expected score (141,995 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.2% expected score (59,627 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 45.8% expected score (2,233 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 45.0% expected score (4,174 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.4% expected score (248,160 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 52.4% expected score (225,464 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 49.9% expected score (68,553 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 44.8% expected score (3,656 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 51.4% expected score (5,329 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (337,167 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.5% expected score (335,036 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 53.6% expected score (77,047 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 52.7% expected score (3,650 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 54.8% expected score (4,951 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.0% expected score (427,316 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 53.1% expected score (415,367 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 54.4% expected score (92,614 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 55.7% expected score (4,276 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 52.6% expected score (2,717 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.2% expected score (413,163 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.9% expected score (331,197 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.6% expected score (60,182 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 56.5% expected score (2,136 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 58.8% expected score (1,479 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.8% expected score (381,361 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.2% expected score (155,283 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 57.4% expected score (17,287 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 60.7% expected score (270 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 57.4% expected score (390 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.4% expected score (109,432 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.2% expected score (18,643 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 59.8% expected score (681 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 56.9% expected score (13 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack scores 52.3% for White — we are 90% confident it is 52.3% — from 4.5M Lichess games. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 4.5M+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack win rate?
Playing the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack, White wins 50.2%, draws 4.2% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.3%. It rests on 4.5M rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack perform best?
The Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 55.6% (129K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 52.7% in Blitz (1.8M games) against 52.2% in Rapid (472K games).
How sharp is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack?
The Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack has a sharpness score of 95.8 (very decisive), meaning 95.8% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
What is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 46.5%, draws 3.5% and loses 50.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.2%. It rests on 159K Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 48.6%, draws 3.1% and loses 48.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.2%. It rests on 245K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 49.7%, draws 3.0% and loses 47.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.2%. It rests on 376K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 50.0%, draws 3.2% and loses 46.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 550K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 51.0%, draws 3.6% and loses 45.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.8%. It rests on 758K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 50.6%, draws 4.3% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.8%. It rests on 945K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 50.2%, draws 4.9% and loses 44.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 809K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 50.5%, draws 5.7% and loses 43.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.3%. It rests on 556K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 51.9%, draws 7.3% and loses 40.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 129K Lichess games, which average 43 moves.
What is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack win rate in UltraBullet?
In UltraBullet, White wins 49.8%, draws 1.8% and loses 48.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.8%. It rests on 23K Lichess games.
What is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 50.3%, draws 3.4% and loses 46.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.0%. It rests on 2.2M Lichess games.
What is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 50.2%, draws 5.0% and loses 44.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 1.8M Lichess games.
What is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 49.6%, draws 5.2% and loses 45.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.2%. It rests on 472K Lichess games.
What is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 47.9%, draws 6.4% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.2%. It rests on 18K Lichess games.
Is the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack a good opening?
The Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 50.2% of its games and loses 45.6%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.