Caro-Can 🥴🚽

I am sorry for this intrusion, but I feel this is important. Recently, a very wholesome, friendly, and talented member of the chess community was lost. In the times before Daniel Naroditsky's death, he was being harassed online by a former world champion Vladimir Kramnik. The chess community fully condemns Kramnik and his actions, and we wish for change. Please sign this petition in support of Daniel and the struggles that he was going through:

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I currently win 50% of my games with the Caro-Kann when playing Black, and the success trend may be upwards - it is an opening I am studying. I find it to be a good opening against White if White is too aggressive and impetuous. Not free rating points for me at least, as was claimed by Heckinsprout up the thread, but I am definitely competitive when playing it.

The game might be lost, but the mood’s definitely a win. With that kind of attitude, your rating won’t really drop — maybe just get a little “stuck” for a while. Honestly, keeping a sense of humor after a loss is worth more than a few Elo points anyway. There are also some very good games here to lift your spirits. If you're interested, I recommend checking them out.

les amie aller dans mon club svp

Very bad play in the opening by black.

I play a great player and person as well. He admitted that it was "the saddest position with black ever".

So, avoid the "Can" if you can!

It isn't a serious threat if black uses sound opening principles!

That is what I am preaching: "If you play this with only opening principals you will get your kingside jammed."

My chess-principals failed me when I played this myself with black. No way this happens in any other opening! No way!!!

I know that but I was using caro as a second string defence for a number of years. The reasons I gave it up were because it's harder to win for black when white is playing for a draw than with defences like the Franch and the Sicilian, which is the one I use. Also, there are some nasty lines white can use but they don't occur in the Advance Variation when black plays Bf5 and plays well. In the game you gave, why didn't black play hg? It stops the cramping pawn advance, while e4-e5-e6 isn't especially dangerous in that line. And it's normal to take the Bd3, since black can just walk the K away to the centre to avoid Q checks. The lines you gave for white are traps but not white's strongest lines.

Everyday I encounter black "Can" players, yes daily, where they instead of playing the "strongest lines", opting for the "constipational lines" where their kingside is totally jammed. And everyday I must repeat the above stated message, it is like my words are not getting the message across. And that is like getting constipated!

And afterwards usually the black players complain about this. I have not experience this effect in any other opening, the closest constipational effect is in close Sicilian like this:

Here I opt to block the c8 black bishop. However the entire queenside is not totally cramped like the "Can" only the queenside Bishop is castrated.

Do I make myself understandable?

YES if the brightest chess-players of all-time played the Can this might not happen, however at my level rating THIS IS FREAKIN' THING IS HAPPENING EVERYDAY IN MY GAMES WHEN THIS LINE IS PLAYED, EVERYDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Caro-Kan is thought, mistakenly, by weak players, to be "easy to play" whereas in fact it's exceptionally difficult at a high level or where players are sufficiently prepared against it. And one reason why the rather poor 3.....c5 became popular against the advance variation is that they aren't good enough to play the ... Bf5 lines, which are perfectly safe if handled correctly.

I mean, I'm not the greatest player by any means but in club play I'm strong and there's no way I'm going to play a caro on board one in slowplay of our local club, against a player of similar strength to me. It's reasonably sound but even GMs get caught out playing it and can lose horribly.

Regarding that Sicilian, I would never play 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 as black. It's horrible and just inviting Bb5 and crippled pawns which white can aim his game against. I would play either 2. ...e6 or 2. ...a6.

i dont really like caro cann

You still play the line wrongly.

After 4.g4 Be4(!) 5.f3 Bg6 white has to play 6.e6 first, so that there is no ...Qd6-Qg3 because the pawn is still at h2, and throw in h2-h4 AFTER ...fxe6.

See a recent game by a former Super-GM played at the FIDE World Cup.

The whole line is a bit tricky, but gives nothing resembling an advantage against sane play.

Jobava was lucky to catch the opponent unprepared- 14...Ne4? is a serious mistake, Black should have played 14...Kc7 (which was played by chess prodigy Erdogmus a few months ago).

Mr. @Pfren. 🙏

Obviously you are the better chess player. Besides I am too old to argue as much as I do.

YES, I keep playing this the wrong way, yet many many manyyy of my opponents 1800-2200 level players get themselves entangled into constipation issues as the games I showcase here at this thread.

YES I should have been playing the "Ruy Lopes" and dreaming I am playing at Fide world championships, yet I play these, off-beat, dubious openings like the Bayonet and such... And why? Because I am no Karpov to play famous moves like his famous "bishop-to-a7" and constrict the hell out of my opponents like that.

Also, winning a game alone does not give me the satisfaction I get by locking up my opponents kingside like the games I showcase here. And as long as I can improve my opponents game by humiliate them like this I will thrust the bayonet somewhere between the moons and the places that the sun does not shine...

I did not tell you to play the Ruy Lopez. Heck, you would be greater than Tal the Magician if you managed to play the Ruy Lopez after 1.e4 c6...

You can keep on playing this tricky line, but at least you SHOULD try to play it properly. I don't have to say for a third time that after 4.g4 Be4 5.f3 Bg6 6.h4?! h5 7.e6 Qd6! you are just asking for trouble...