Caro-Kann Defense: what to play after Nc3?

In the Caro-Kann Defense (ECO B15), Black's primary and most principled continuation is dxe4. Liquidating the center removes White's central tension and allows Black to develop their light-squared bishop or knight without obstruction. While other options exist, capturing on e4 represents the vast consensus of opening theory and yields Black a solid foundation.

The Main Line: dxe4

Black chooses dxe4 in 88.1% of recorded games, spanning roughly 24M recorded encounters. The move holds an engine evaluation of +0.34, with White scoring 52.1% from this position. An illustrative continuation shows play continuing with dxe4 Nxe4 Bf5 Ng3 Bg6 h4, where Black establishes the light-squared bishop outside the pawn chain before White's knight maneuvers to challenge it on the kingside.

Alternatives to the Central Exchange

Black occasionally tests other moves, though they concede slightly more ground according to engine analysis. The move e6 is the most frequent alternative, seen in 9.0% of games (2.41M recorded) with an evaluation of +0.70 and White scoring 54.2%, often leading to an illustrative line such as e6 Bd3 dxe4 Nxe4 Qxd4 Nf3. The prophylactic a6 appears in 1.9% of games (496K recorded) with a +0.51 evaluation and White scoring 49.2%, leading toward a6 Bd3 dxe4 Nxe4 Bf5 Nc5.

Rare Sidelines

Other sidelines are considerably less common. The flank thrust h6 accounts for 1.0% of games (277K recorded) and evaluates at +0.55, where play can continue with h6 e5 Bf5 g4 Bg6 h4 as White pushes forward with pawns on the kingside. Finally, Qa5 is evaluated at +0.96 by the engine, pointing toward variations such as Qa5 Bd2 dxe4 Bc4 Nf6 Nxe4, but it lacks the universal theoretical backing of dxe4.