Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack
1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3
The Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack is a chess opening classified as ECO B10, reached after 1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3. It is a line of the Caro-Kann Defense. Black is to move. 2 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 10,478 times by this move order. White won 49%, 5% were drawn and Black won 46%. The most popular continuation is 3… dxe4 (56% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.20 (Stockfish, depth 55; best line 3… dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. d4)
- ECO
- B10
- Moves
- 5 plies
- FEN
rnbqkbnr/pp2pppp/2p5/3p4/4P3/2N2N2/PPPP1PPP/R1BQKB1R b KQkq - 1 3- PGN
1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 2,079 | |
| 1500-1999 | 5,261 | |
| 2000+ | 3,138 | |
| All | 10,478 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 3… dxe4 | 5,892 (56%) | |
| 3… Bg4 Two Knights Attack, Mindeno Variation | 2,598 (25%) | |
| 3… d4 | 976 (9%) | |
| 3… Nf6 | 424 (4%) | |
| 3… e6 | 261 (2%) | |
| 3… a6 | 102 (1%) | |
| 3… g6 | 81 (1%) | |
| 3… h6 | 40 (0%) |
Master games
7,320 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 41%, draw 23%, Black 36%). The strongest:
- Ethereal 12.19 (3708) – rofChade 2.303 (3661) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 18 Premier 2020 · 2020-05-30
- rofChade 2.303 (3661) – Ethereal 12.19 (3708) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 18 Premier 2020 · 2020-05-27
- LCZero 0.31-dag-c93c6a8-BT4-61 (3652) – Stockfish dev-20250118-8e3e22b (3683) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 27 Theory Bonus · 2025-01-23
- Stockfish dev-20250118-8e3e22b (3683) – LCZero 0.31-dag-c93c6a8-BT4-61 (3652) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 27 Theory Bonus · 2025-01-23
- LCZero 0.31-dag-f7fb268-BT4-61 (3652) – Stockfish dev-20241208-cf10644 (3683) 1-0 · TCEC 27 Superfinal 2024 · 2024-12-29
Search all games of the Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- IM KAPUTVSEMU (2833) – GM Sigma_Tauri (2821) 0-1 · 2026-09-07 · 180 + 0s
- molecularchemist285 (2868) – hadishahod (2778) 0-1 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- TigerSiberian (2836) – JeromePanoSoler (2707) 1-0 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Caro-Kann Defense (2. Nc3 d5) 1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5
Continuations
- Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack, Mindeno Variation B11 · 1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 Bg4
- Caro-Kann Defense: Hector Gambit B10 · 1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Ng5
More Caro-Kann Defense lines (all)
- Caro-Kann Defense (1. e4 c6) B10
- Caro-Kann Defense (1… c6 2. Nc3) B10
- Caro-Kann Defense: Accelerated Panov Attack (1… c6 2. c4) B10
- Caro-Kann Defense: Accelerated Panov Attack (2. c4 d5) B10
- Caro-Kann Defense: Accelerated Panov Attack, Modern Variation B10
- Caro-Kann Defense: Accelerated Panov Attack, Open Variation B10
- Caro-Kann Defense: Accelerated Panov Attack, Pseudo-Scandinavian B10
- Caro-Kann Defense: Accelerated Panov Attack, Van Weersel Attack B10
- Caro-Kann Defense: Apocalypse Attack B10
- Caro-Kann Defense: Breyer Variation B10
- Caro-Kann Defense: Breyer Variation, Stein Attack B10
- Caro-Kann Defense: Dinic Gambit B10
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.