Caro-Kann Defense:Karpov Variation

Named after Anatoly Karpov: 4...Nd7 prepares ...Ngf6 without allowing doubled pawns.

It is reached after 8 moves: 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7. It is a line of the Caro-Kann Defense.

White is to move and has 42 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 1,010,408 different games. Those games reach 348,724 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 2.9 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 7 further lines after this position, such as Modern Variation (5. Ng5) and Smyslov Variation (5. Bc4 Ngf6 6. Ng5 e6 7. Qe2 Nb6).

The same moves can be played in 13 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. d4 c6 2. e4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7, which starts as the Queen's Pawn Game.