Thanks for that uh-oh - wasn't obvious to me. I guess the author thought it obvious since he didn't explain this, and he explains most things thoroughly in this book.
So the Bishop goes to g7 to pressure the d4 pawn, since it's awkward for White to defend without having c2-c3 at his disposal, right?
Thanks uh-oh, that all makes sense and I understand this line much better now.
You know, you should be writing these chess books
Ne4-c3 is quite a strange move. Probably can equalise with anything reasonable. Maybe g6 is most ambitious...
He is normally good at explanations. It is like in the Alekhine I always had trouble deciding the exact same thing. He explained in that book that when you can pressure d pawn fianchetto and play d5 and Bg4 to pressure pawn. When it camt be pressured the fianchetto or d5 are not so important.
It made it easy for me to understand plans without needing to inow exact variations, which i only forget anyway. Just the sort of insight I want from an opening book
5. Nf3 is already a pretty harmless move.
Referring (I think) to 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nd7 5 Nf3 Ngf6 6 Nc3 g6.
The Smyslov Variation (0...Nd7 [where 0, before the first move in this thread's diagram corresponds to actual move 4: 1 e4 c6 2 Nf3 d5 3 d4 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nd7 5 {the diagram's move 1} Nc3 ...etc.]) is out of favor (though not necessarily bad) because one of the goals of most of us who play the Caro-Kann (and it's cousin the Slav) is to get the QB outside of the pawn chain before ...e6 makes it a "Bad Bishop." Additionally, it's often rock-solid for Black to post a N at d5 and the d4 pawn is a protector more than an attacker early-on, so the fiianchettoed KB is a questionable asset. It's more typical to play the "Classical Variation" 0...Bf5 which Lakdawala, despite his excellent explanations, doesn't even cover in his book! The 0...Bf5 Classical variation is extensively covered in the first 8 chapters Schandorff'sThe Caro-Kann where he ignores the Smyslov Valiration. In Starting Out: the Caro-Kann, Joe Gallagher notes that the Smyslov Variation became briefly popular after Karpov, in his 1987 championship eliminator match with Sokolov, used it and kept Sokolov from winning with 1 e4, while Karpov won when he had White.
In Joe Gallagher's Starting Out - the Caro-Kann, he doesn't fianchetto any B, but his explanation goes far beyond Lakdawala's. Gallagher's excellent guidance:
"Why play 4...Nd7? ...very simple. Black wants to develop his KN but without...pawn weaknesses...The system is extremely solid; Black's basic plan is to quietly develop his pieces and then counter in the center with ...c6-c5 [which Black does in move 22 of the game in this thread's initial diagram]. After exchanging his c-pawn for Whites d-pawn, Black should be left with a 1-0 center pawn majority (..on e6) which may prove to be an advantage in the long run.
Who should play it?
This is not a variation that will suit all styles. Black players are warned that they often have to soak up a lot of early pressure. They should expect to get a compact, sometimes cramped, position but one without any weaknesses. If you are the sort of player who looks for activity at all costs then look elsewhere. This is a variation for those who value, above all, solid structure. I think it would be fair to describe 4...Nd7 [reaching the position in this threads diagram] as a provocative variation...once White starts to attack, Black must be ready to counter in a vigorous manner...To sum up, this is a variation where Black is not really looking for a fight, but if White starts one..."
Compare that with Lakdawala's cryptic explanation:
Question: What is our goal as Black?
Answer: A three-part aim:
1. Complete our development without allowing White to gain in his development lead.
2. Challenge White's centre with a well timed ...c5 break.
3. Most importantly, don't get mated!
Finally, note that the ...c5 attack on white d4-pawn, noted by both Lakdawala and Gallagher, means the fianchettoed KB isn't going to have a winning effect on the d4 square! On the other hand, in the game involved, Black waited longer than normal to play e6 so he eventually got his QB outside the pawn chain because he posted his KB at g7 and not at e7, etc.
The Smyslov Variation (0...Nd7 [where 0, before the first move in this thread's diagram corresponds to actual move 4: 1 e4 c6 2 Nf3 d5 3 d4 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nd7 5 {the diagram's move 1} Nc3 ...etc.]) is ...
... 4...Nd7 [reaching the position in this threads diagram] ...
4 Nxe4 is not possible after "1 e4 c6 2 Nf3 d5 3 d4 dxe4". 1 e4 c6 2 Nc3 d5 3 d4 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nd7 is possible, but it would then take 5 Nf3 Ngf6 to reach the position in the diagram. Nc3 would then be White's sixth move.
... In Joe Gallagher's Starting Out - the Caro-Kann, he doesn't fianchetto any B, ...
It might be of interest to see what Gallagher says about Black's move after 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nd7 5 Nf3 Ngf6 6 Nc3.
... Compare that with Lakdawala's cryptic explanation:
Question: What is our goal as Black?
Answer: A three-part aim: ...
It should perhaps be noted that the quote is a small fragment of the chapter written by IM Cyrus Lakdawala to explain 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nd7 5 Nf3. In all, there are three chapters (about 135 pages) to help the reader understand 4...Nd7, including such comments as: "Black intends to develop smoothly by challenging the e4-knight next move with ...Ngf6."
Gallagher's purpose was very different from that of Lakdawala. The Starting Out book set out to introduce the reader to a number of different possibilities, whereas Lakdawala set out to cover a specific set of repertoire choices in greater detail. The Lakdawala choice of 4...Nd7 is perhaps controversial, but he explained: "... IM Houska and GM Schandorff both advocate the more popular 4...Bf5 line. ... I prefer playing out of fashion lines because my opponents are less likely to be booked up on such lines. ..."
I recently started playing the Caro-Kann, I really like the opening.
I understand that, in the position after 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4, 4...Bf5 is suggested by the recent book, Opening Repertoire: ...c6 by Cyrus Lakdawala and Keaton Kiewra.
www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/7673.pdf
I avoid anything my Lakdawala, he just churns out book after book, just to get published.
There much more love and understanding in many older works
"... [The Caro-Kann: Move by Move by Cyrus Lakdawala] is decidedly for the lower-ranked players, say, from around 1500 to 2000. It is an easy and enjoyable read if you want to understand the Caro-Kann from Black's perspective. In addition to having a repertoire served on a platter, this book is a great starting point." - FM Carsten Hansen (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627015516/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen163.pdf
"... Throughout [Opening Repertoire: ...c6,] Lakdawala is typically strong on explaining key points ..." - Chess, April 2017
I'm working my way through Lakdawala's Caro-Kann book, and there's a sequence of moves I don't understand.
The book also covers Ng3, Bd3, Neg5 and Ned2 as well as Nc3 in the starting position of the diagram above, but only in the Nc3 line does Black fiancetto his K-side. My question is: Why does Black fiancetto against Nc3 but not in the other lines?