art of planning (Caro-Kann) part 11/25

Please note that all the info. in this post are taken from outside sources, they will be mentionned in the last section (special thanks and others sources section)..AND DON'T FORGET TO ALWAYS LOOK FOR COMMENTS UNDER EACH DIAGRAMS!!!

                                                      Caro-Kann

   This defence is considered like an semi-open game.  This opening have the reputation to be a little less dynamic that others opening but this defence is also considered to be solid for Black by often turn into a good endgame for Black thanks to their good pawns skeleton.. The opening is named after the English player Horatio Caro and the Austrian Marcus Kann who analyzed the opening in 1886.   

Zoom out section:



     In this post, we will see 6 differents types of variations of the Caro-Kann defence.  They will be: the Bronstein-Larsen variation, the Short variation, the Panov-Botvinnik attack, the anti-Caro-Kann variation, the Capablanca variation and finally the modern variation. ...Largely, we can said that the Caro-Kann is a system where Black tries to maintain a healthy pawn chain and utilize White's weakeness to win..

Zoom out section:

1- Bronstein-Larsen variation section:

     It is difficult to find an opening which is misunderstood by more chess players than the Caro-Kann Defence! Former World Champion Anatoly Karpov once remarked,  "I always had a very sad impression of this opening due to its desperate passivity."  To be fair, he continued "...but I really learned this opening much later in my career, while preparing for my candidate's match vs. Spassky in 1974. Still, it didn't change my opinion about the opening and my choice of the Caro-Kann in the game vs. Spassky could be explained by a certain match strategy."  Karpov wrote this comment in a book of his selected games published in the late 1970s. Apparently some 20 years later he learned something new about the Caro-Kann since it became a backbone of his Black opening repertoire. One variation in the Caro-Kann was even named after him (The Smyslov / Karpov Variation where Black plays 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 ).

     Indeed, the majority of the lines in the Caro-Kann are very solid (and not necessarily passive). Yet, there is a line where Black attempts to seize the initiative right out of the opening. I am talking about so-called Bronstein-Larsen Variation which appears on the board after 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6 gxf6!?  Here is how Wikipedia describes this variation: "Black has voluntarily opted for an inferior pawn structure and a practical necessity of castling queen side, while gaining dynamic compensation in the form of the open g-file for the rook and unusually active play for the Caro-Kann."  Sounds like exactly the line tactical players should look for! And the next wild game of Bronstein just proves the point!

     In any other line if White makes a mistake he usually just loses his opening advantage.  Meanwhile, in the Bronstein-Larsen Variation positions are usually so sharp that a tiny mistake can lead to a catastrophe.  A very young future-GM Josh Friedel fell a victim of one such land mine:



2- Short variation section:

     In this system the complications arise much earlier in the opening phase of the game. Just like the poisoned pawn variation in the Najdorf system, here Black tries to grab the b2-pawn, delaying his kingside development. Usually this idea gives White a lot of compensation for the sacrificed pawn. But unlike the poisoned pawn variation where Black after grabbing the pawn will keep defending for a long time, here Black immediately develops an initiative by sacrificing material.

 Since it was a blindfold rapid game there were a lot of mistakes on both sides yet the game was pretty interesting from the theoretical point of view. After 13.Bd2 Black could have easily seized the initiative with 13. ... c3 but instead he exchanged the dark bishops and soon allowed some counterplay for white. Our next game is Ni Hua-Ionov in which white came up with 12.Qd2 instead of Karjakin's 12.Qe1

3- Panov-Botvinnik attack section:

4- Anti-Caro-Kann variation section:

5- Capablanca variation section:

6- the modern variation section:

Youtube "excellent link" section:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyV2NPOehcA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HidaW4ADGM

To be avoided section: 

Personnal's games section:

This next game is a blitz game against an avatar of ChessMaster 10 (Guillaume) valued in program to 1661, i've just forgotten to put is rating on the diagram but no matter...

More about planning section:



Caro-Kann:(1.e4-c6 2.d4-d5 )

For White: - The passive position of the c-pawn where it deprive the b-Knight of its natural developing square... And tend to produce a more defensive and passive type of game. 

For Black:  - Black aim d5 and he will use the semi-open c-file (after exchanging d5)

                - If Black avoid the exchange of d5, they will play c5 later

                - Black tries to maintain a healthy pawn chain and utilize White's weakeness to win..

Quebecor's games section:

Nathalia Pogonina's games section:

Special thanks section:

I just wanna said a BIG SPECIAL THANKS at Borgqueen, thanks my friend for give me some good ideas for the structure of this post..

AND ALSO, a BIG THANKS at:  

thamizhan, Gserper, Arunabi, FM_Eric_Schiller, mircea_1956, ChessRenewal, Pogape and Oldbill !! Thank you all for make this topic possible!!! IMP!!!!! NOTE...The thamizhan, Gserper, Arunabi, FM_Eric_Schiller content's was a GREAT HELP!!! THANKS..

Others references:

-ChessMaster 10

-Fritz 10

-Chess books       - My Greats predecessors by Kasparov

                         - review  Échec+  No.190 (Mars-Avril)

- youtube                                                          

 www.poginina.com

-wikipedia

That's ALL for the Caro-Kann defence!.. I hope you had appreciated ;)

 C_H_E_S_STAR

Does any one know what books which deal with Caro Kann (English Variation) or English Opening: Caro Kann defense ?

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2Here Karpov play Nd2 insteed of Nc3 but it will turn into the really same position. Kasparov also often played Nd2 here but I REALY DON'T KNOW WHY....

discouraging 3..g6 

Which brings up the question: Why would you want to discourage 3...g6?

you don't have to , but if white insists on playing the classical variation he can make g6 less attractive this way . Sort of limiting your opponents choices, not that g6 is super  powerful 

Wow...didnt know that Bronstein played Bc5 & Ne5 some 58 years before Vishy...