Caro-Kann: Bronstein-Larsen Variation

Are there any good books or courses on the Bronstein-Larsen Variation of the Caro-Kann, from Black's perspective? My daughter has just gotten interested in playing this line and asked for a book on it. I see a Silman book from 1989. Is there anythig more recent? (If not, is the Silman at least in algebraic notation? I *think* that by 1989, most books were, but my sense of time is getting hazy...)

All of the recent Caro Kann books coverage is devoted to the Classical or Tartakower (exf6) variations. Nigel Davies does have a Chessbase Fritz Trainer from 2016 on the 4...Nf6 Caro Kann that covers the Tartakower and Bronstein-Larsen. I don't know of any Chessable courses that might cover it.

Thanks. It’s definitely out of fashion, so I’m not surprised. Still, I’d bet that at the club level it’s perfectly fine.

I found an image inside Silman's book on taking back with the ....g pawn and the ...e pawn in the Caro Kann. In the image it's in algebraic.

Is that the line where Black takes gxf?

Yes. I'll type out the moves so as to clarify for all readers of this thread. It goes 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 (or 3 Nd2) dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nf6 5 Nxf6+. Now 5...gxf6 is the Bronstein-Larsen variation, 5...exf6 is the Tartakower variation.

Yup, that's the one. I meant to give the line and forgot.

And thanks, Petrosian.

I play Bronstein-Larsen Variation a lot by transposing into it from the Scandinavian 3...Qa5

I'd also recommend looking into Scandinavian games also

There is a beautifully annotated game by Josh Waitzkin on youtube, albeit from White's perspective:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_bmbmp-928

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they study an opening is they only care about one side. They pay no attention to the other side. Could care less what their objective is. Only care to see games where their side wins, etc. Biggest mistake you can make. Even if you don't play it from the other side, like if you are studying the White side of the Trompowsky and as Black against 1.d4, you play 1...e6, you still need to understand Black's ideas. You need to see games where Black wins. It will help you better understand potential pitfalls from your own perspective. Sure, everybody knows in the Trompowsky, with the abandoning of the dark-squared Bishop, that b2 is a weak pawn. When is it ok to give up the pawn? What do you do with the extra time you get when Black takes? What are Black's follow-up ideas? What other pitfalls and landmines must White watch out for? Which side do most endgames favor? A lot of times, this can only be answered by actually seeing games that Black wins.

Now you might be saying "What the bleep does the Trompowsky have to do with the Caro-Kann?" It doesn't. It has to do with HOW you study any opening. He mentions "From Black's Perspective". Those "Let's shove a few lines from one side's perspective, hope he or she can memorize just those lines, and call it a day" is the biggest disservice you can do for yourself. You need to take a more wholistic viewpoint of whatever opening you are studying, even if you only intend to play it from one side, and no matter what your repertoire is, there is always at least 1 (more than 1 is possible) opening that you must be able to play from both sides. The way to tell what that is? Ask yourself the following:

1) What do I play on move 1 as White?

2) What do I play on move 1 as Black against my answer to Question 1?

3) What do I play on move 2 as White against my answer to Question 2?

4) What do I play on move 2 as Black against my answer to Question 3?

Etc

For me, that would be 1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4. For you, it would be something else.

And the reason I used the Trompowsky in the example and not the Black side of the Caro-Kann is because it is easier to explain the point you are getting across using an opening you know over one you only slightly know. I only slightly know that line of the Caro-Kann, but the concept is the same. You need to know White's ideas, Black's potential pitfalls, and you actually need to see games where Black loses, not only games where he wins, using that opening. Many one-sided books and videos leave out all games where your side of interest loses. They may get you started, but if you stop there, YOU WILL FAIL! That is why books like Matthew Sadler's book on the QGD or Moskalenko's "The Wonderful Winawer" are so much better than say, Chris Ward's "Play the Queen's Gambit" or Cyrus Lakdawala's "Opening Repertoire: The French Defense", where I believe in the Winawer, he gives only 4...b6 and not 4...c5 or 4...Ne7, and only shows where Black succeeds. The only time I would recommend just a repertoire book with a narrow solution and maybe a couple of winning games to illustrate is when you are countering extremely rare lines, like a book for Black on how to counter openings aside from 1.e4, 1.d4, 1.c4, and 1.Nf3. As Black, you will only rarely face 1.f4, 1.g3, 1.Nc3, 1.b3, and 1.b4, that a repertoire is fine. But for your defense to 1.e4, a book that is a one-sided perspective book is not going to get you far at all

Ok, but I think you maybe overstating it. Every repertoire book I have (ie written from one side) pays at least some attention to what the other side wants to accomplish.

Anyway, a book that isn’t from either side would be fine two. I wrote what I wrote — and yes, I could have been more precise — because the one book I have that covers the line is an (excellent) White repertoire book, and another wouldn’t help me. The point was: something that would be useful to someone who plays it as black.

I looked for it a while ago and found nothing. There doesn't seem to be a repertoire book. The book by Silman that you mentioned is probably the best. Otherwise, the database is the only thing that will help. On the other hand, you should be happy about it. Hardly anyone plays the move gxf6 and the variation is almost unknown to anyone.

I browsed through some of the opening books I have, and most of them gloss past the Bronstein-Larsen because of how straightforward White's plan is against it (g3+Bb2, castle kingside, and advance the queenside pawns).

Black's plan is usually straightforward as well (rook to the semi-open g-file and castle queenside). But White seems have the easier play, with less risk.

I agree that looking through database games for moves/ideas that your daughter might like, and also analyzing with an engine would be the approach to go for.

One of the most fun opening variations I know!

It is not modern, as the engines do not like it, wich means it has high practical value but it will be hard to find new books. I will recommend an older general (not repertoire) Caro-Kann book (check that the line is covered before buying). I still use Konstantinopolsky, but there are probably others.

The best book on the variation is probably Bent Larsen's old repertoire book 'Solide Åbninger', but it is in Danish.

The most interesting lines are probably not covered in any books. But that makes room for personal study (together with an engine).

Thanks, Toldsted!

Agree on your recommendations, Toldsted. I also have the variation covered in Konstantinopolsky/Weiz and Karpov. The first mention I have with 16 dedicated pages is a book by Keene about strategic openings from 1978(!) - sorry, do not have an English title. Gallagher also covers in it his 2002 „Getting started with the Carolina-Kann“.
Chessbase has two Fritz trainers if I remember correctly: an older one by Andrew Martin and a more recent one by Nigel Davies (this one also about the Tartakover).
And yes, it is a fun opening in which you can win big against clueless opponents and end on your knees, if your opponent has a clear plan. Experience - nearly 40 years in my case - definitely pays off. 🙂

I trust you can fix the auto-correction typos…

Thanks, all. Somehow I can’t find any listing for this Konstantinopolsky book. What’s the title? Do you have an isbn for it?