I would like to play the classical caro-kann (1: e4 c6 2: d4 d5 3: Nc3 dxe4 4: Nxe4) as white, so i'm looking for a book giving the key ideas against 4: .. Bf5, 4: .. Nd7 and 4: .. Nf6.
Openings according to Anand is to heavy analysis.
The only other up-to-date book is DW Caro-Kann, which doesn't have anything against 4: .. Nf6. It has 6: N1e2 against Bf5 variation, and main line against Nd7.
well u tried the chess website .com very useful covers mainly the mainline on opening.. ie after bf5 ng3 bg6...... nf3 and now maybe nd7 or e6 after white play h4 black to protect bishop play h6 then h5 bh7 bd3 ( then exchange off bishops ) then play e6 get ya dark squared bishop activated then look at maybe qc6 castle king side etc but thats the main line of the caro kann hope this helps 🙂
1. Why h4? The claimed goals of that move are to threaten to trap the black bishop and to strenghten the king side. However, I do not see any serious threat on the bishop and I thought that advancing a pawn on the castle side (since the variation often continues with a castle on the king's side) was a weakening rather than strengthening move. Why isn't a developping move like Nf3 considered a better alternate?
2. Why h6? What is so immediately threatening the bishop that would cause black to reply with h6, which in my mind has the same drawback as h4?
This may or may not be of interest to you, but this is about all i can contibute on the Caro-Kann Defense.
I have played on both sides of the caro-Kann Defense, but the following game is the only OTB tournament game that I have played against it. It was played in round two of the 1600 and under rating section of the 1982 World Open. This young lady, Betsy Content Smith, came with her coach to play some serious chess and win some money. I quit playing OTB chess after this tournament but she went on to play until 1987 and obtain a USCF rating of 2068.
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 {Caro Kann defense. White sometimes likes to transpose into the Advanced variation of the Caro-Kann defense by playing 3.e5 here, so you need to study this variation of the Caro-Kann.} 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ gxf6 {She Follows the rule capture toward the center, however, exf6 looks better to me, but masters do play both moves} 6. Ne2 {I don't remember why, but at the time I thought this was better for White in this variation than Nf3} 6...Bg4 7. f3 Bf5 8. Ng3 Bg6 9. Bf4 {I think I played this to prevent e5, but 6.Bc4 would have been better} 9...e6 {Qb6 may have been better} 10. Ne4 Bxe4 11. fxe4 Bd6 12. e5 fxe5 13. dxe5 Qa5+ {I believe I was expecting a bishop retreat and overlooked this move} 14. Qd2 Qxd2+ 15. Kxd2 Bc7 16. g3 Nd7 17. Re1 O-O-O 18. Kc1 Nf8 19. Bc4 Ng6 20. Bg5 Rd4 21. Bb3 Bd8 22. Be3 Re4 23. Bd2 Rxe1+ 24. Rxe1 Bc7 25. Bc3 Rd8 26. Re4 b5 27. a3 c5 28. Ba2 a5 29. b3 Rd5 {My e5 pawn is attacked 3 times and it looks like she is winning} 30. b4 axb4 31. axb4 c4 {She closed the door on me now} 32. Bxc4 bxc4 33. Rxc4 Kd7 34. Re4 Bxe5 35. Bd2 f5 36. Re1 {Another mistake that allows...} 36...Bb2+ {She uses tactics to force a trade of bishops, if I play Kd1 I will also lose the b-pawn which is my only hope of a draw} 37. Kxb2 Rxd2 38. Kb3 Rxh2 39. Rd1+ Kc6 40. c4 Rh3 41. c5 {I should have played 41.Ka4 first to prevent Black from blocking my pawns with Kb5} 41...Rxg3+ {A stroke of luck, she is too anxious to gobble up my last kingside pawn, so now I can still play...} 42. Ka4 e5 43. Rd6+ Kc7 44. b5 Rc3 {Now she turns her attention to my advancing queenside pawns, but it gives me a better chance for the draw} 45. b6+ Kc8 46. c6 Nf8 47. Rf6 {I am still concentrating on getting a draw and make another dumb move} 47...Nd7 {Another stoke of luck, I guess she thinks I will just take the knight but now I see a chance for the win that I overlooked on the previous move} 48. b7+ Kc7 49. cxd7 Rd3 50. Rf7 Kb8 51. Rf8+ Kxb7 {How could I have been so lucky or was it psychology?} 52. d8=Q Rxd8 53. Rxd8 Kc6 {She doesn't give up yet because she has hopes of queening her own pawn} 54. Kb4 f4 55. Kc4 f3 56. Kd3 e4+ 57. Kxe4 {She resigns. This is the only game she lost in the tournament}
"Caro Kann defense. White sometimes likes to transpose into the Advanced French defense by playing 3.e5 here, so you need to study this variation of the French."
White playing e5 is NOT the advanced variation of the French - where did you ever get that idea!
Originally posted by kbear1k "Caro Kann defense. White sometimes likes to transpose into the Advanced French defense by playing 3.e5 here, so you need to study this variation of the French."
White playing e5 is NOT the advanced variation of the French - where did you ever get that idea!
Maybe I am wrong, but after black plays e6 it looks like tha advanced variation of the French defense to me. I guess it is the advanced variation of the Caro-kann then.
Originally posted by kbear1k When black playing the black side of a French versus the advanced black should play c5 instead of c6 - c6 is a wasted move.
yes obv c5 in the french... but yes he is right it does transpose into the french defence and for example if you study your openings they all blend together if you play certain moves and play them around...
Originally posted by rookorbycrook black plays nf6 resulting in doubled pawns ? not sure about that mate... after nxe4 bf5 looks plausible
Yes, 4...Bf5 is the classical line. However, her coach may have wanted to get out of those lines that players at our level had memorized and knew the best moves as far as this:
I think the best followup for the alternate line that she played after 5.Nxf6 is 5...exf6 instead of 5...gxf6, because the bishop is free to move and the kingside pawns are still strong. However, her coach may have prepared something else that we will never know. Possibly an attack on the open knight file. Anyway, since I did not play perfectly either she got a winning advantage, but did not have the experience at that time to finish the job.
Classical Caro-Kann as white
24 Jan '13 19:48
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