In the Caro-Kann Exchange Variation you trade with 3. and your opponent recaptures , leaving d4 against d5 with no e-pawn for you and no c-pawn for them. With 4. you score 54.9% in 18,056 public Lichess games (September 2026); with 4., the most common move at your level, 48.2%. Strong players pick 4. in 45 of every 100 games.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
3 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After 3. , the fourth move at your level splits between 4. (32 of every 100) and 4. (31 of every 100), and neither gets you half the points: you score 48 and 49 of every 100. Strong players go 4. in 45 of every 100 games on Lichess 2200+ and 58 of every 100 over the board at 2300+. In public games it shows up in just 12 of every 100, and you score 55 of every 100 with it. The line gets more popular as ratings rise: 4 in every 1000 games at 900 to 1100, nearly 9 in every 1000 at 1500 to 1700.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96.5% | 50.0% | 98.6% | 100.0% | |
| 2.2% | 56.8% | 0.6% | no data | |
| 0.7% | 55.5% | 0.7% | no data | |
| 0.3% | 52.5% | no data | no data | |
| 0.2% | 70.9% | 0.1% | no data | |
| 0.1% | 57.8% | no data | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32.0% | 48.2% | 0.8% | no data | |
| 30.9% | 49.3% | 15.7% | 17.1% | |
| 12.0% | 54.9% | 45.4% | 57.6% | |
| 11.9% | 54.3% | 33.8% | 25.3% | |
| 4.9% | 46.5% | no data | no data | |
| 3.0% | 50.3% | 2.1% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.8% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53.9% | 54.7% | 66.0% | 74.5% | |
| 37.1% | 54.0% | 32.2% | 25.5% | |
| 3.6% | 57.6% | 0.5% | no data | |
| 2.2% | 54.4% | 0.5% | no data | |
| 1.0% | 50.8% | 0.5% | no data | |
| 0.8% | 75.2% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.1% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75.0% | 55.5% | 92.7% | 100.0% | |
| 18.8% | 53.3% | 5.1% | no data | |
| 2.0% | 51.3% | 1.7% | no data | |
| 1.4% | 57.0% | 0.4% | no data | |
| 1.4% | 55.7% | no data | no data | |
| 0.8% | 44.6% | 0.1% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76.5% | 55.4% | 63.5% | 48.6% | |
| 6.8% | 49.4% | 4.7% | no data | |
| 4.4% | 54.5% | 2.6% | 15.3% | |
| 3.3% | 54.3% | 7.8% | no data | |
| 2.7% | 57.1% | 0.3% | no data | |
| 1.5% | 50.9% | 21.2% | 36.1% |
Strong players follow 4. 5. 6. 7.. After you have no e-pawn and your opponent has no c-pawn, so the game turns on d4, d5 and their light-squared bishop on c8. You take f5 away from that bishop, and once it comes out to g4 instead, you go after b7, the pawn it used to guard.
4. comes first because it covers f5: if the bishop goes there, you trade it off. Few opponents at your level try it, and in those games you score 75 of every 100. The usual reply is (54 of every 100 public games, 66 among strong players), hitting d4 and eyeing b4.
5. deals with both. The pawn guards d4 and takes b4 from the knight, which would attack your bishop on d3 from there. It also clears c2, the square your queen passes through on the way to b3. Strong players play it in 93 of every 100 games. The normal answer is , at 76 of every 100 public games. Strong players also meet (21 of every 100): the queen eyes f4, so 6. would leave the bishop hanging.
6. gets the dark-squared bishop out in front of your c3 and d4 pawns, which both sit on dark squares. From f4 it covers e5 together with the d4 pawn, so your opponent can't push their e-pawn there without preparation. This move takes you into the Rubinstein Variation: 2,804 public games, where you score 57 of every 100.
is what 70 of every 100 strong players choose. With f5 covered, the bishop goes to g4 and hits your queen on d1 through e2 and f3, both still empty because your knight hasn't moved. 7. steps away with tempo: from b3 the queen attacks b7, no longer guarded by the bishop, and adds pressure on d5. Strong players choose it in 83 of every 100 games.
You control the move order, not the replies: at your level, after 4., 37 of every 100 opponents play instead of .
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 16,290 | 98.7% | |
| 16,487 | 45.6% | |
| 7,488 | 66.1% | |
| 4,925 | 92.8% | |
| 4,582 | 63.3% | |
| 3,587 | 51.7% | |
| 1,999 | 70.0% | |
| 1,336 | 82.8% |
After you're a pawn up on d5. The c6 pawn, the knight and the queen all hit it, and 4. guards it only once: after material is level again. 4. keeps the extra pawn. It's an inaccuracy that opponents at your level often don't punish: you score 55 of every 100 with it.
14 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 55.4%; scores 53.3%.
4. develops, but it doesn't defend the d5 pawn that left you: your opponent wins it back with and material is level. With 4. you stay a pawn up even after they recapture on c6. 18 of every 100 players choose 4. here, and opponents don't always make it count: you score 58 of every 100.
18 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 57.6%; scores 53.3%.
After 4. , 5. spends a tempo on a pawn while your kingside pieces are still at home. Your opponent develops with , and , and after 8. you have no centre pawns left. 5. develops the bishop first and points it at f7. Opponents at your level often don't punish it: you score 58 of every 100.
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1 pawn of advantage. It scores 58.0%; scores 53.1%.
After 4. , the bishop pins your knight to your queen. 5. hits the queen on d5, but after 6. your f-pawns are doubled, and pins the c3 knight to your king until 7.. 5. guards f3 first, so you recapture with the bishop. At your level it rarely gets punished: you score 51 of every 100.
24 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 50.9%; scores 52.2%.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · B13
2,804 amateur games · White's score: 57.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. · B13
22 amateur games · White's score: 34.1%