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Caro-Kann Defense · As Black · updated October 2026

Play the Caro-Kann like Haowen Xue

A Caro-Kann repertoire built from 85 of Haowen Xue's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Haowen Xue chose most often. Where Haowen Xue 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 Haowen Xue or Chess.com.

  • Haowen Xue was #50 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,195) and scored 61% against opponents averaging 2,977 in these games.
  • You play Haowen Xue's own move in 38 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#50

Chess.com

Rating

3,195

Games

85

in this opening

Score

61%

in these games

Opponents

2,977

average rating

More about Haowen Xue

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 12 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 10% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 c5 6.Be3 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Ne7

  2. Line 2 · 8% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.c3 Bd6 7.Bd3 O-O 8.Ne2 Re8 9.O-O Nd7

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.c3 Bd6 7.Bd3 O-O 8.Qc2 Re8+ 9.Ne2 h5 10.O-O h4 11.Bf4 Na6 12.Rfe1 Nc7 13.h3 Nd5

  4. Line 4 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.h4 h5 5.Bd3 Bxd3 6.Qxd3 Qa5+ 7.b4 Qa6

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6

  7. Line 7 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6

  8. Line 8 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 d5 3.d3 Nd7

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Nf6 6.Bf4 g6

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Nf6 6.h3 g6

  11. Line 11 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.O-O Bg6

  12. Line 12 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.h4 h5 5.c4 e6 6.Nc3 Ne7 7.Nge2 Nd7

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

Haowen Xue'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 c5 6.Be3 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Ne7.

  1. 2.d4 Reply · Haowen Xue's games A common reply here is 2.d4. At top level, this comes up about 73% of the time.
  2. 2…d5 Your move · Haowen Xue's games Haowen Xue played 2…d5 in 60 games, scoring 59%.
  3. 3.e5 Reply · Haowen Xue's games A common reply here is 3.e5. At top level, this comes up about 32% of the time.
  4. 3…Bf5 Your move · Haowen Xue's games Haowen Xue played 3…Bf5 in 25 games, scoring 50%.
  5. 4.Nf3 Reply · Haowen Xue's games A common reply here is 4.Nf3. At top level, this comes up about 14% of the time.
  6. 4…e6 Your move · Haowen Xue's games Haowen Xue played 4…e6 in 11 games, scoring 27%.
  7. 5.Be2 Reply · Haowen Xue's games A common reply here is 5.Be2.
  8. 5…c5 Your move · Haowen Xue's games Haowen Xue played 5…c5 in 11 games, scoring 27%.
  9. 6.Be3 Reply · Haowen Xue's games A common reply here is 6.Be3. At top level, this comes up about 10% of the time.
  10. 6…cxd4 Your move · Haowen Xue's games Haowen Xue played 6…cxd4 in 8 games, scoring 25%.
  11. 7.Nxd4 Reply · Haowen Xue's games A common reply here is 7.Nxd4.
  12. 7…Ne7 Your move · Haowen Xue's games Haowen Xue played 7…Ne7 in 8 games, scoring 25%.

Questions about this course

How does Haowen Xue play the Caro-Kann?
After 1.e4 c6, Haowen Xue's most common line is 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 c5 6.Be3 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Ne7. At top level it comes up about 10% of the time.
Is this Haowen Xue's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Haowen Xue's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Caro-Kann course based on?
85 of Haowen Xue's Chess.com blitz games in the Caro-Kann Defense as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 2,977. Haowen Xue scored 61% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
12 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 Haowen Xue?
GM Haowen Xue was ranked number 50 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,195 when this course was built.