I never really liked playing against the advance since there's no easy way to open the game.
Should I learn the Caro-Kann?
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Yes I recommend the Caro-Kann. That is my go-to response to e4 now. I used to play e5 but don't now because of the King's Gambit. And I used to play the Sicilian but don't now because of the Alapin, so I go with the Caro-Kann now and have had great success with it!
HueyWilliams wrote:
No! It is very very very boring.
I find that most people with this opinion are usually referring to the old mainline which is not very popular nowadays. The modern mainline is the advance variation and lines like this are popular...
Not what I'd call boring...
What did Karpov play for the Caro-Kann?
Doesn't that g4-h4 stuff just lead to both sides castling queenside and White trying to just win on the kingside slowly? I'm sure it's good for White but I'm not sure if I'd call it interesting.
Reb wrote:
As black Karpov preferred the smyslov carokann ... 4 ... Nd7
I heard he was OK at chess :-)
It his line now not considered the best way to play?
yapman wrote:
It's growing to be my favortite replies to e4 along with a few other king side openings. If played well, I find it's a tough nut to crack, especially if you're a positional player or prefer semi-open or closed games. Look at the Capablanca Variation.
What do you recommend for study? The Schandorff book?
Feb 9, 2015
0
#30
Definitely. The CK is simple to understand and very adaptable.
Yes. You do need to have some degree of patience or resilience.
Veganomnomnom wrote:
mosey69 4.Nc3 is certainly not best, and probably not even a decent try for White. It's very antipositional and threatens an attack that Black has more than enough resources to defend. Remember, 4...e6 is by no means forced.
I wasn't claiming that it was the best option for white just demonstrating that there are lines which don't conform to the stereotype of the Caro-Kann. Of course 4. Nf3 is probably white's best try, I also think that 4. h4 h5 5. c4 was popular with top players fairly recently if memory serves.
i used to play the caro kann many years ago but i found that i didn't like it when white played e5 so i stopped.
yapman wrote:
It's growing to be my favortite replies to e4 along with a few other king side openings. If played well, I find it's a tough nut to crack, especially if you're a positional player or prefer semi-open or closed games. Look at the Capablanca Variation.
Along with which other kingside openings?
hapless_fool wrote:
Against the insulting and demeaning e4 I first started with the French, then moved up to the Sicilian. Is it worthwhile learning the Caro-Kann? Does it have some advantage over the other openings? I never play e5 because it gives me migraines.
The opening you play, is entirely up to you.
Feb 18, 2015
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#35
tubebender wrote:
I like the Caro-Kann. Why not join the Caro-Kann Study Group? We just formed a few months ago and have a win under our belt. We are currently playing against two other teams. Buy the book by Lars Schandorff; it`s a little deep but good. I would also join a USCF correspondence tournament to test out this new defense. Of course, a repertoir will have to be developed against 1 d4 and 1 c4.
Sold. A recent returnee to the patzer scene. I have been wanting to find one opening and go with it.
So I will be playing the Caro-Kann.
Thank you !
Apr 5, 2015
0
#36
I was playing a 3minute 2 sec increment carokann which was going pretty smoothly until I overlooked the move Bxf7+.. and the game devolved into a mess which I ended up winning on time, though I did have an advantage in the final position. My opponent just couldn't find the moves to put me away after I messed up, while I kept finding moves to complicate things.
I found Shanklands video on the Caro Kann probably one of the least helpful videos on this site. It was haphazard, he explained virtually nothing and we were treated to explanations of variations with sentiments like, ' i don't believe in this'. Well gee thanks for that Shankland I guess I should not believe in it either. It seemed like he simply couldn't be bothered. Maybe he couldn't? Maybe its just his demeanour, I dunno. IM David Pruess introduction to the Caro Kann was much much much better. He's a great teacher. I would recommend Play the Caro Kann by Jovanka Houska, its superbly well explained.
I love the Caro kann. I have found that it has three basic philosophies. 1) Stay solid and encourage an attack by white. He will either bust through and mate you. Or he will dash against the rocks and then you counter attack. 2) Stay even in material and simplify into a endgame. 3) win a pawn, trade Queens, and push it to glory.
Yes! The caro kann is VERY good, especially for positional players, although it definitely has more aggressive ways to play (3. ... c5 advance variation, tartakower variation against "mainline", or the bronstein-larsen.) There is some theory, but mostly you can play with common sense. Take all of these with a grain of salt though, as I am only 750.
#41, I agree. the Caro kann can be used at all levels. it is our understanding of theory that grows. I'm not a fan of the 3...,c5 lines although it is perfectly playable. The Tartakower variation has one drawback if white knows it. The bronstein-larsen with gxf6 shares the same general pawn structure as the older Qa5 line of the Scandinavian.
Where do I find my stats?