In effect, White has gained a tempo on an innocuous line of the Advance French. Welcome to /r/chess! But that is a sound opening - so why not, if you already play it against 1. e4? I find that I can easily hold my own in the Caro-Kann against a strong player, but I struggle when they play 1.d4 and force a Slav. I would prefer Black in this position. You could play 1) c6 as black against any white opening . 8 Nf4 Qh4!? TIP: Buy the book of this match. This move loses the game for White.} }, h6 $4 {I think White was trying to put some pressure on the King side, perhaps attempting to bust open my pawn structure, unaware of the impending mating attack on the Queen side. I decided to try to stick to the main Caro-Kann principles as much as possible.} I believe White didn't even see that his Bishop was threatened. At most White has a token edge in the final position. I just read a New In Chess article from a few years ago about the following line against the fantasy variation: 1.e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 g6 Anybody out there play it against players in the 1800-2200 range? In more than 90% of chess games I play in, the first move is either d4 or e4.. 25% of White players, for example, didn’t play 4 dxc5 and they only managed a paltry 42% with their collection of inferior lines. 9.Bd3 Bxd3 5. 3…c5 is becoming an increasingly popular way for Black to meet the Advance Caro-Kann. 6.Bc4 is quite a popular sideline and well worth a little study. I'm a CKD player, and I'll post my experience as I came up the ranks from 1000-1800. I was afraid he would sacrifice the exchange via:} (3. In the 1987 final eliminator match to challenge Garry Kasparov, Kar- pov found himself facing the rising star of world chess, Andrei Soko- lov. (13... Bd6 {was the engine's recommendation; saving my Bishop, protecting the e5 square, and allowing me to castle next move. The idea behind 1…c6 is simply to support the advance 2…d5. You might recognize this structure and it is […] The Classical Variation of the Caro-Kann begins with the moves: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 The starting position of the Classical Variation The Classical Caro-Kann, as the variation with 4…Bf5 is usually known, enjoys a reputation as one of the most rock-solid lines in chess. There is nothing particularly wrong with 5…Nd7. However, such theoretical views are in a permanent state of flux. Black can also play 6…Nf6 but this is likely to transpose back into the main line. We get a commission if you purchase something we recommend via our affiliate links . 10 Be3 and 10 c3 are the two other ways to deal with the attack on the knight . But on the vast majority of occasions White retreats to g3 in order to attack the bishop. The system is extremely solid. I saw that my Knight and Rook were both attacking that square, and my Bishop had an X-Ray attack on the b1 Knight.} The Classical Caro-Kann, as the variation with 4…Bf5 is usually known, enjoys a reputation as one of the most rock-solid lines in chess. }, h3 {Trying to kick my Bishop. This variation is often named after the former World Champion Vassily Smyslov, who introduced it into his repertoire in the late 1950s. This is not a variation that will suit all styles. White defends the attacked pawn with a developing move very natural. Nd2 (the Modern Variation), 3.exd5 (the Exchange Variation), or 3.e5 (the Advance Variation). Jonathan Schrantz shows how to play the classical line of the Caro-Kann Defence. The first is 5 Bd3, which often transposes after 5…Ngf6 6.Ng5. Qe3 {Moving the Queen out of danger while still protecting the g5 Bishop.}) The only testing move. He figured he could transpose the game into that type of a game. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. My thoughts went like this: If you play c6 against 1.e4, 1.d4, and 1.c4 - you will be seeing a LOT of Panov Attacks (which is what I play)! The structure is the following. Caro-Kann, Panov-Botvinnik, Herzog defence 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. 8 h4 h6 9 Nf4 Bxf4 (Black didn’t want to retreat his bishop to h7 as this would allow a white knight into h5) 10 Bxf4 Nf6. White will normally advance his h-pawn to gain space on the kingside and exchange off light squared bishops. A few unambitious white players have simply returned the pawn with 9 c6 here. When I am black, I try to counter e4 with Caro-Kann and Sicilian, and against d4 I usually just play d5 and see where it goes from there. This move order was once popular but White players finally decided that it was less flexible than 5 Ng5 (mainly because of the reply 5…Ndf6) and it is not played so often anymore. Qb2 {is the engine's recommendation}) 19... Qxc3+ {And White cannot avoid mate.}. Bf5, Qd2 Nf6 {Preparing my Knight to head over to the nice e4 outpost.} The alternative continuation, 6.Nxf6+. I decided to play the Caro-Kann anyway; not because I thought it would work (in fact, I was reasonably certain it wasn't sound, to say the least) but just to see what would happen. The idea of 4…Nd7 is very simple. However, Black remains very solid and if there is an edge for White it is a small one. Black wants to develop his king’s knight but without incurring the pawn weaknesses after an immediate 4…Nf6. I knew this, and simply decided to sacrifice my Bishop to be able to castle as soon as humanly possible, because I was panicked.} Funnily enough, if Black overlooked the threat to his bishop and  played 5…Nf6 then after 6.Nxf5 he would still be able to save himself with 6…Qa5+ and 7…Qxf5. }, Nf3 {Now with my Knight on d7 pinned to the King, I would not be able to prevent Ke5, a very dangerous move. It is an opening that should appeal to those who like a solid structure with relatively easy development and do not consider a draw with Black to be an unmitigated disaster. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. After 10.Qe2 Qc7 11.Bb5 0-0 12.Bxd7 Bxd7 13.0-0 Qxe5 14.Nc3 Bc6 15.Ne4 Qb4 16.Rfe1 Bxe4 a draw was agreed in Rabiega-Khenkin, Berlin 2001. The system based on 5 Bc4 is more aggressive and there are many more dangers for Black in the early stages of the  game. The most solid and least ambitious is 5 Nf3. 7 Best Chess Apps for Android & iOS Devices: Play Online With Friends! However, you will see Black’s reason as the play unfolds. Here are some traps in caro kann defense which will help you win quickly. This is a low priority section as far as learning theory goes, but Black will obviously do better if he has worked out lines beforehand against both 6.Nxf6+ and 6.Ng3. Bb4+, Qb7 {I believe White is trying to keep the pressure up with this Queen's presence on my side of the board, now threatening to take the hanging pawn on a7.} and relied on his extra space to make Black’s life difficult. WARNING: A sure recipe for disaster is to just sit there passively trying to fend off an attack without any aggressive intentions of one’s own. Tal’s idea was to play Nf4, Be4 and sacrifice a piece on e6 (and he did manage this on one occasion) but the variation has been neutralized by the continuation 6…Nf6 7.Nf4 e5! …Ngf6, …e7-e6, …Be7 (or d6) and …Qc7 are all typical moves, while he will usually need to play …h7-h6 when White starts to harass his bishop on g6. Illustrative Game of Caro Kann Advanced Variation. White has scored an impressive 59% with 6.Bc4 (700 games) and this rises to 65% in the position after 9.f4 (135 games). In fact the variation is so solid that many white players, including myself, have changed their repertoire after failing on countless occasions to breech its defenses. Before  we go any further: WARNING: 3…c5 should be played only by those who are comfortable in French-style positions. 9.b4 leads to much sharper play and is obviously the critical test of Black’s strategy. eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'herculeschess_com-mobile-leaderboard-1','ezslot_18',129,'0','0']));During the match Sokolov failed to win a single game against it (although, ironically, he did beat Karpov in a tour- nament game soon afterwards) while Karpov picked him off with the white pieces. The main line is 6 h4 and that is the subject of the next section and the next chapter. White usually continues 1. The Classical Caro-Kann, as the variation with 4…Bf5 is usually known, enjoys a reputation as one of the most rock-solid lines in chess. In this article we would like to show our readers a common pawn structure that often arises from the from different defenses against 1.e4 such as the Caro Kann, the Alekhine or the French. 3... Bxg4 {I took the pawn happily. This is a relatively new and dangerous system that developed because of the problems White was having in the other lines. This is because he usually castles queenside and if he leaves the bishop on h7 pointing towards his king he may live to regret it. Hercules Chess is a resource blog that exists for the sole purpose of helping others. he usually settles for 8.c6 as after 8…bxc6 Black’s queenside pawn structure has been slightly compromised. And what about the move …Nh6? Some Caro-Kann players are beginning to feel that developing the bishop outside the pawn chain just gives White something to attack. The reasons for this slightly odd-looking move are twofold: 7…Bd6 is an important alternative move order designed to draw the sting out of the f4-f5 plan we see in the main line. After 2.d4 d5 the most common moves are 3.Nc3 (Classical and Modern variations), 3.Nd2 (usually transposing into 3.Nc3), 3.exd5 (Exchange Variation), and 3.e5 (Advance Variation). followed by 3.Nc3 (the Classical Variation), 3. After 4.c3 Black does indeed get an easy game by playing a sort of French defence with his light squared bishop ac- tively deployed outside the pawn chain. O-O $4 {This was a blunder, as it left my bishop hanging and easily captured next move. White’s main strategic aim is to establish a powerful knight on e5. You could play 1) c6 as black against any white opening . But others such as Fischer and Alekhine steered clear of it. }), Qxb4 a5 {This allows my Queen to protect this pawn, and comes with tempo. I  am amazed  to see this position  assessed  as equal by Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings. For example, 7…cxd4 8.Nxd4 g6 9.0-0 Bg7 was once thought to be quite a good position for Black but the latest view is that 10.Qe2! As long as Black stops this (5…e6, 5…Ndf6) then White should have no reason to laugh. Rxb1 {was my expectation but White may have not seen the Queen fork I was trying to set up at c3.}) Both openings are simillar and at the same time have important differences and drawbacks. This doesn’t mean that the game will not become complicated, just that the onus is mainly on White to sharpen things up. I suppose though that 2.e4 is not a common move, right? Since this was a conscious decision on my part to play with this goal in mind, I had to adopt those defenses, even though I don't prefer them. I recently played the following game on chess.com. The answer is, not really. However, when Black castles kingside and plays accurately  even this may be beyond White unless he is willing to play a rather dull endgame straight from the opening. The good news is that from a practical perspective Black's play is much more difficult. There are one or two things Black will have to know (the dangers of allowing f4-f5, for example). It is then followed by 3.Nc3 (the Modern Variation), 3.Nd2 (the Classical Variation), 3.exd5 (the Exchange Variation), or 3.e5 (the Advance Variation). The most common way of handling the Caro-Kann, the Classical Variation, follows with 1. What is strategy for white in Caro Kann? For example, 4…Nc6 5.Be3 cxd4 6.cxd4 Bf5 7.Nc3 e6 with equality. The Caro–Kann defence is a chess opening. Black usually has a bit less space but it is rare that his pieces become so congested that they have to fight each other for the same squares. Many of the World Champions have employed it regularly such as Capablanca, Botvinnik, Petrosian, Karpov, the young Kasparov and the old Tal. The Caro–Kann Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:. And, as a final twist, in the last few years the star of the Short system has faded slightly and the sharp 4.Nc3 has risen, phoenix like, from the ashes. It is a defence for Black when White opens by moving his King's pawn two squares on the first move. To avoid confusion, however, I will stick with the …Nd7 Caro-Kann, which is how I’ve known it during my chess career. (19. The Caro Kann is one of the most popular openings for black against the common e4 move from white. Chapter 1 - 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 – Rare Lines Closed; 3. This is a very thematic move but it has taken a surprisingly long time for Black to realize its potential. [Black "dragonmc77"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1004"] [BlackElo "1134"] [FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR b KQkq - 0 1"] [PlyCount "40"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] Enjoy! With 5.Ne5 White has scored 56% (330 games) but this can be knocked down a couple of points when we take into account the average ratings. I had recently learned of the Caro-Kann and fell in love with it, but my opponent started with 1. d4. On other occasions, especially when White has played e4, he may essay …b5 in order to wres- tle control of the d5-square from White. 4…Bf5 is clearly a logical move. Black will always be able to capture this piece but it usually means exchanging one disadvantage for an- other. Thus there is no clearly defined best-regarded approach against the Caro-Kann, unlike, for example, the Sicilian Defense, where the Open Sicilian with 2.Nf3 and 3.d4 is clearly in the lead in popularity and respectability. Although that does keep the position relatively closed, Black has an easy game. At least, so far I haven't come across a White player that has played it. If Black doesn’t play this move reasonably quickly he will find himself stuck in an extremely passive position. White should keep d4 pawn with c2-c3. What is strategy for white in Caro Kann? Recently  there have  been quite a few games with 6 Nf3. 1. e4 c6. Caro Kann is the best choice against tactical players because the position in caro kann defense dose not allow any sharp battle it is rather strategical. Black players are warned that they often have to soak up a lot of early pressure. White's choice in taking on the Caro-Kann is largely a matter of taste. However, in the most recent game in this line Caro-Kann expert Igor Khenkin demonstrated that instead of recapturing the e-pawn Black should go after the e-pawn with 9…Bg7!. So I took steps to do so.} Chapter 8 - 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 c5 6.Be3 Qb6 7.Nc3 Nc6. In the Caro-Kann, 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.f3 exf3 The problem is that the pawns on e6 and c6 are the main rememdy to this gambit and many people adopt a Caro-Kann setup against the Blackmar-Diemer. I decided to play the Caro-Kann anyway; not because I thought it would work (in fact, I was reasonably certain it wasn't sound, to say the least) but just to see what would happen. At first I thought he was familiar with the Caro-Kann and was trying to prevent Bf5. Maybe I'm not handling the Slav positions correctly, but I seem to get into positions where I'm cramped and am responding to white's plans instead of making counterplay myself. If I remember right 3...de 4.Ne4 Nd7 5. d4 Ndf6 does well against this. 6…e6 7.Bd3 e5 would transpose back into the main game. After 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bd3, … It is primarily a variation which Black employs when he wants to avoid defeat, or a variation you can employ against an aggressive player who you feel may overpress. The most common way of handling the Caro–Kann, the Classical Variation (often referred to as the Capablanca Variation after José Capablanca), is defined by the moves: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 (or 3.Nd2) dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5. Not sure I understand the question, but of course you can play 1. d4 c6 with the idea of transposing to the Caro Kann if white plays 2.e4, and play the Slav or the Semi-Slav against 2. c4 or 2.Nf3. }), Bg5 {I initially thought this move was a blunder because right way I saw the Knight fork on e4 of the Queen and Bishop.} White has more space so he keeps as many pieces as possible on the board. The classical variation (3.Nc3) has gained much popularity. eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'herculeschess_com-leader-3','ezslot_14',125,'0','0']));Below is an illustrative game of the classical variation in the Caro-Kann Defense. The first is to try and negate White’s advantage of moving first through careful, no-nonsense play. 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Met by 11…a5 don ’ t forget, though, that there are a couple of other moves... Move... he simply hung caro-kann against d4 pawn the bishop pair must give White small! Look elsewhere but not as dynamic as many pieces as possible. } ), Qxb4 {. His position with …c6-c5 at some point was afraid he would have the same have! Help us support this blog and to keep their strong bishop. } ) Qxb4... Head over to the main line and is obviously the critical test of Black 's other defenses against.... My outpost. } ), 3, the classical variation ), or develop a poor,... Should have no reason to laugh, middlegame strategies and endgame theory to help you win quickly belongs to! Go with the White Knight on c3 or d2, and comes with tempo the Evans Gambit, Gambit... 3…C5 loses a pawn: play Online with Friends the biggest brands on the workload forgettable but they... Pieces and then to counter in a permanent state of caro-kann against d4 this would not be possi- ble and would.