caro kann advance vari

3...Bf5 because it gets the bishop off the back rank and nicely developed.  3...c5 seems premature.  I'm not a very aggressive player though.

I like c5.

It doesn't really matter.  They can both end up in the same formation.  If I recall correctly, GothamChess recommends attacking the base as soon as white advances, then followed by Nc6.

The main advantage to waiting on the bishop is to see if white will play Nf3.  Then, Bg4 and be prepared to trade.  This will help weaken white's hold on d4 and e5.

If you want to keep your bishop, then Bf5 and it doesn't matter the order.  I like getting my queen knight out, and I like the the position I end up when that's on c6.  With the white pawn on e5, the king knight needs to come to e7.  Knights on both e7 and d7 are too cramped for my tastes.

right. ill have to play around with both to see what i like more, currently going through this massive caro course on chessable. havent played any games in a week. tuesday ill start testing out these ideas i guess. ( cant play live chess due to unpredicatable work phone calls for this week )

I sent over a couple challenges.  I'm game for playing a few variations.  Or if you want to just play through the opening and then discard.  I set them as not rated so they can be just for exploration.  Or if you don't want to play, I won't get my feelings hurt. 

ok unrated sounds good

3. ..c5 is better, though you're basically playing a French Defense a tempo down.  3. ..Bf5 4. Bd3! proves the bishop maneuver is pointless, it just loses further tempo.

Better to just play the French Defense if this is what you're expecting to face in the Caro-Kann.

3..c5 requires some sharp play from black if white tries to hold on to the pawn, but this is really the only challenging way to play for white so this means less to study. 3..bf5 is quite demanding. almost every 4th move has its own venom. you have to know your stuff here as white's play is quite natural and easier than black's. even if you both don't know theory black is still harder to play in my opinion.

One is not better than the other but a matter of taste. One can say Bf5 is more in the spirit of the Caro-Kann because it develops the Queen's Bishop outside of the pawn chain. However, 3...c5 is sometimes considered more dynamic, seeking immediate confrontation in the center, and usually employed by players who are worried about the cramped passivity in the advanced Caro-Kann.

As a Caro-Kann player myself, I like 3...Bf5 and spring 3...c5 when my opponents are expecting 3...Bf5. Therefore, learn one system first, then the other. A similar strategy can be used in the Classical Variation too:

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3/Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5

2. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3/Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6!

ترجمه

bf5 doesnt result in a bad french bishop and there is always h4, providing an escape square an tempo on the king side

I play 3...Bf5. It's a little more theory-heavy, but it's arguably the "correct" way to play the Caro-Kann.

3...c5 runs into dxc4 ...Nc6 Bb5, where Black is forced to play ...e6, shutting in his queen bishop and adopting a French Defense arrangement.

If Black tries ...Bf5 here, instead of ...e6, hoping to adopt a Caro-Kann arrangement? He'll just get punished, like so:

Now Black is just down a pawn, with nothing to show for it.

If you really want to play the Caro-Kann, in Caro-Kann style, then the move is:

Just be prepared to dive into theoretical waters.

Bf5 probably gives both sides an easier way through the opening. c5 is sharper but leads to complicated variations, as White is likely to be able to defend the two pawns in the centre for at least a few more moves making your development a struggle sometimes.

Another option almost no one tries is to play 3..g6, redirecting the main focus of the game to the kingside by having your pieces developing to that side of the board. After all, c6 in itself blocks off quite some paths to the queenside for the knight and bishop, and your pieces will feel cramped because of the pawn structure. It's evaluated better for White though and you'll often find yourself developing the knight to f5 through h6 which is not ideal. You'd have to study these lines to be able to play it and not fall for things like blocking off your light-squared bishop completely with e6 or having to play f6 early on.

4.Bd3 would also be a positional blunder by White, offering to exchange his good bishop for Black's bad bishop. (Notice how White's pawn center is fixed on the dark squares).

This is why you'll see Grandmasters play Be2 in this structure more often (rather than Bd3).

atleast for the ratings ill be playing people are out of book by maby move 5 at the most, basically just going to hammer down the first 5 variations of advance, exchange, classical, fantasy and just keep going with endgame study. i see no sense in trying to memorize 873 lines with a 1000 rapid LOL maby in 15 years it will be usefull.