been playing the scandinavian for a while and i'm starting to get sick of it. i have started looking into the caro kann since it seems like more solid opening than the scandinavian. do you guys enjoy playing the caro kann? do you enjoy playing the positions that arise from it?
The Sicilian and the Caro-Kann are my two favorite responses to 1.e4. I've been playing the C-K for years.
I don't find the C-K boring at all. The positions are always imbalanced in some way.
yes i think so except that it can transpose into the french, its a pretty boring opening no sharp lines like in the spanish with the bishops eyeing the king or anything its a slow opening
Black has aggressive lines to play, if he chooses.
Here's one that I particularly enjoy:
White better put on his boxing gloves - he's in for a fight.
yes i think so except that it can transpose into the french, its a pretty boring opening no sharp lines like in the spanish with the bishops eyeing the king or anything its a slow opening
Black has aggressive lines to play, if he chooses.
Here's one that I particularly enjoy:
White better put on his boxing gloves - he's in for a fight.
Huh, avoiding the c5-break for the h6-g5-f6 stuff... interesting.
Is it good enough to play otb though? I'm not sure, considering it invalidates the entire "main break" of the caro.
Huh, avoiding the c5-break for the h6-g5-f6 stuff... interesting.
Is it good enough to play otb though? I'm not sure, considering it invalidates the entire "main break" of the caro.
It's less common than the c5 break, for sure. Though, I'd say it's still playable.
Here, Shankland played that general setup against Nakamura - keeping his pawns sturdy on the queenside and playing on the kingside instead. (Hikaru's bishop forced Sam to play ...f5 instead of ...f6, though it's the same general idea).
I'd say if it can survive a test from Hikaru's white pieces, it's probably a viable approach. 
In my opinion, not at all. I really like the Caro-Kann as White, as you have just... so many options, and all of them are good. If you like interesting, unusual positions, there's the Advanced Panov Attack (Toikkanen Gambit specifically is very interesting), and if you can always transpose to the Panov Attack. If you like IQP positions, there's the Panov Attack. If you like interesting, unintuitive play, there's the Breyer Variation (shown below)
been playing the scandinavian for a while and i'm starting to get sick of it. i have started looking into the caro kann since it seems like more solid opening than the scandinavian. do you guys enjoy playing the caro kann? do you enjoy playing the positions that arise from it?