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Caro-Kann Defense · As Black · updated October 2026

Play the Caro-Kann like Andrey Esipenko

A Caro-Kann repertoire built from 35 of Andrey Esipenko's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Andrey Esipenko chose most often. Where Andrey Esipenko has fewer than 3 games, the course takes the other top-50 players' most played move, then Stockfish's. Learn a line on the board, then each position comes back in a short daily review until it sticks.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Andrey Esipenko or Chess.com.

  • Andrey Esipenko was #26 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,230) and scored 79% against opponents averaging 2,731 in these games.
  • You play Andrey Esipenko's own move in 12 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#26

Chess.com

Rating

3,230

Games

35

in this opening

Score

79%

in these games

Opponents

2,731

average rating

More about Andrey Esipenko

Use arrow keys to navigate the board. Press Enter to select a piece, then use arrow keys and Enter to move. Press Escape to cancel a move.
Line 1 after 10 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 8% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 Ne7 6.O-O h6

  2. Line 2 · 6% at top level

    2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.h3 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 e6 6.d4 Nf6

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 d5

  4. Line 4 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Ne2 e6 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h5 7.c4 dxc4 8.Bxc4 Be7 9.Nc3 Nd7 10.Nce4 Nh6

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.h4 h5 5.Bd3 Bxd3 6.Qxd3 Qa5+

  7. Line 7 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nf3 a6

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Bd3 Bxd3 5.Qxd3 e6

  9. Line 9 · 3% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nd2 e6 5.Nb3 Nd7

  10. Line 10 · 3% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.h5 Bh7 8.Nf3 e6 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Nf6 11.Bd2 c5

Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.

Andrey Esipenko's main line in the Caro-Kann, move by move

The most common line at top level: 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 Ne7 6.O-O h6.

  1. 2.d4 Reply · Andrey Esipenko's games A common reply here is 2.d4. At top level, this comes up about 71% of the time.
  2. 2…d5 Your move · Andrey Esipenko's games Andrey Esipenko played 2…d5 in 25 games, scoring 84%.
  3. 3.e5 Reply · Andrey Esipenko's games A common reply here is 3.e5. At top level, this comes up about 34% of the time.
  4. 3…Bf5 Your move · Andrey Esipenko's games Andrey Esipenko played 3…Bf5 in 9 games, scoring 78%.
  5. 4.Nf3 Reply · Andrey Esipenko's games A common reply here is 4.Nf3. At top level, this comes up about 11% of the time.
  6. 4…e6 Your move · Andrey Esipenko's games Andrey Esipenko played 4…e6 in 3 games, scoring 67%.
  7. 5.Be2 Reply · Andrey Esipenko's games A common reply here is 5.Be2.
  8. 5…Ne7 Your move · Andrey Esipenko's games Andrey Esipenko played 5…Ne7 in 2 games, scoring 100%.
  9. 6.O-O Reply · Top-50 players In the other top players' games, a common reply here is 6.O-O. At top level, this comes up about 8% of the time.
  10. 6…h6 Your move · Top-50 players Andrey Esipenko has too few games here, so this is the other top players' most played move.

Questions about this course

How does Andrey Esipenko play the Caro-Kann?
After 1.e4 c6, Andrey Esipenko's most common line is 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 Ne7 6.O-O h6. At top level it comes up about 8% of the time.
Is this Andrey Esipenko's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Andrey Esipenko's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Caro-Kann course based on?
35 of Andrey Esipenko's Chess.com blitz games in the Caro-Kann Defense as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 2,731. Andrey Esipenko scored 79% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
10 lines covering 40 positions, ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. The first 5 lines need no account; saving your progress with an email unlocks the rest, free.
Who is Andrey Esipenko?
GM Andrey Esipenko was ranked number 26 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,230 when this course was built.