Cato kann opening
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greatermason
Jul 2, 2023
0
#1
Hi all, I’ve been trying to learn the Caro kann opening recently for fun because it’s relatively simple to understand and use. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed a lot of my games with it end up being closed pawn games, and I’m not sure what to do when I get stuck in these positions. Any advice what to do in general for these games?
Caro kan not cato kann
Jul 4, 2023
0
#3
I usually break with c5 in advance variation and try to put pressure on d4 pawn.
You can play c5 as soon as move 3. I believe it's called Botvinnik-Carls.
Just beware of the light sq diaganal check. I had trouble dealing with a pinned knight many times. But once you're used to the position, it's a very solid opening.
Martytec wrote:
I usually break with c5 in advance variation and try to put pressure on d4 pawn.
You can play c5 as soon as move 3. I believe it's called Botvinnik-Carls.
Just beware of the light sq diaganal check. I had trouble dealing with a pinned knight many times. But once you're used to the position, it's a very solid opening.
So this is great and all, but not good advice. You really need to develop your pieces before you begin putting pressure on the d4 pawn. One of the first opening principles you learn is not to move the same piece twice in the opening, which the Botvinnik-Carls breaks, and it isn’t a good variation, White gets all the play in the positions even without knowing what to do.
greatermason wrote:
Hi all, I’ve been trying to learn the Caro kann opening recently for fun because it’s relatively simple to understand and use. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed a lot of my games with it end up being closed pawn games, and I’m not sure what to do when I get stuck in these positions. Any advice what to do in general for these games?
If you don’t like closed games, don’t play the Caro-Kann. Try the Sicilian or the Open Game. For Ruy Lopez learn the Exchange and the Neo-Arkhangelsk, for Italian learn the Polerio, for Scotch learn the Malaniuk, for Vienna learn the Mainline, and for everything else just develop normally and take the center if you can.
The idea of "pawn breaks" is something that you'll want to learn about - which essentially means using your own pawns to attack your opponent's fixed pawn chain.
You do this to pry open files, or diagonals, to give your pieces more potential activity.
Here's a simple explanation of what pawn breaks are:
Now, having that in mind, I glanced at a recent Caro-Kann game of yours:
My advice to you, after seeing this game, is the same advice I used to receive when I was younger - and it was the very advice that I hated to hear:
"Work on your tactics."
This is because, looking at this game of yours, there were basic tactics that were missed. Doing tactical puzzles can strengthen your tactical vision, which will improve your ability to find good moves (and will help you avoid making one-move blunders).
So, yes, your gameplan moving forward:
1) Try to understand the concept, and the logic, of "pawn breaks" in chess.
and
2) Work more on tactics, to strengthen your tactical abilities.
