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I love the Caro Kaan

I love the Caro Kaan

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Originally posted by robbie carrobie
ah such an optimist, black is not without resources. there is a brilliant game,
Dzindzichashvili v Karpov, real end to end stuff, where Karpov still manages to get
his bishop onto the b1-h7 diagonal via g4 to challenge the white bishop on d3.

[pgn] [Event "Mexico"] [Site "Mexico"] [Date "1988.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Roman Dzindzichashvili ...[text shortened]... xe5 31. Nf3 Qxg7 32. g5 Qb2 33. Kh1 Kg7 34. Ra7 Bc5 35. Rxf7+ Kxf7 0-1[/pgn]
Ah, yes! I know that game. Karpov played against it really well. Apparently 18. Rh3 preparing a h-pawn thrust was better than 18.g4 as played in the game though. I personally hate playing as black in this opening because whites eventual kingside attack seems very strong. But I'm no Karpov. 🙂

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I tend to play Caro Kann as a black simply because I don't like 1.e4 e5

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Originally posted by Vartiovuori
I tend to play Caro Kann as a black simply because I don't like 1.e4 e5
I dont like it either, its too sharp!

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I someone could guarantee an open Sicilian I would play it but there are too many anti Sicilian variations to learn. I used to hate the black side of the Morra although I quite like the white side. I've played numerous opening over the years but I don't think that I've every played the CK


The Caro Kann:

It's half a good move.... only suitable for when you are feeling tired and don't have the energy to play the Kann proper with 1.... c5

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Originally posted by queenabber
The Caro Kann:

It's half a good move.... only suitable for when you are feeling tired and don't have the energy to play the Kann proper with 1.... c5
haha, i read that Tal once teased Fischer by picking up the c pawn and slowly moving it
forward so that it languished a little on c6 and then pushed it forward to c5. 🙂


Originally posted by robbie carrobie
I love it as white or black, dont care, its awesome. No messin with crazy Sicilians or
cramped Frenchies, 1...c6 only move. Heck i love it so much i might even start to play
play 1.c3 as white.
Thats the strange thing. Playing black defences as white and have that extra move you would think it is better. But its not. 1.g3 is not as good as 1....g6. 1.c3 is not as good as 1....c6.

Chess is a weird game. I'm going back to connect4.


Originally posted by hedonist
Thats the strange thing. Playing black defences as white and have that extra move you would think it is better. But its not. 1.g3 is not as good as 1....g6. 1.c3 is not as good as 1....c6.
Part of the reason is "flexibility". It's true that White has the advantage of the first move but Black has some compensation, albeit not full compensation, in the form of seeing what White's plan is before committing to any move. Don't forget that many moves, especially pawns moves, commit to something.

For example, 1.e4 gains things but it also means that the d4 square can no longer be protected by two pawns ever again, so d4 has been somewhat weakened. Many Black defences are based on seeing what White has committed to, and if White tries the same, it is indeed with an extra tempo but without Black being committed. After 1.c3, Black has more flexibility in terms of how to respond.

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Good answer V.

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Originally posted by hedonist
Thats the strange thing. Playing black defences as white and have that extra move you would think it is better. But its not. 1.g3 is not as good as 1....g6. 1.c3 is not as good as 1....c6.

Chess is a weird game. I'm going back to connect4.
I play Ludo! Connect four is too hard!

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Originally posted by Varenka
Part of the reason is "flexibility". It's true that White has the advantage of the first move but Black has some compensation, albeit not full compensation, in the form of seeing what White's plan is before committing to any move. Don't forget that many moves, especially pawns moves, commit to something.

For example, 1.e4 gains things but it also mean ...[text shortened]... Black being committed. After 1.c3, Black has more flexibility in terms of how to respond.
c4 is the passive English whilst c5 is the aggressive Sicilian. This can be explained by c4 allowing black to choose drawish symmetrical lines whilst by playing c5 in response to e5 black chooses an asymmetrical continuation and not just e5 aiming to eventually nullify white tempo opening advantage.

I open with Nf3 and play for passive strangulation with white while I play Nf6 aggressively as black

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It looks like everybody is in agreement. A first for this forum.

On move 1. White is in Positional Zugzwang.

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Originally posted by greenpawn34
It looks like everybody is in agreement. A first for this forum.

On move 1. White is in Positional Zugzwang.
LOl, strange that's the way I often feel as white! ~ Its apparently easier to attack than defend although i am not so convinced! Maybe im just a Wussie 🙁

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My one and only loss under 10 moves in tournament play, came as a result of overlooking a fairly well-known opening trap in the Caro-Kann.


Originally posted by Natural Science
My one and only loss under 10 moves in tournament play, came as a result of overlooking a fairly well-known opening trap in the Caro-Kann.

[pgn][Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "2012.03.19"] [Round "?"] [White "short loss"] [Black "?"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B17"] [PlyCount "11"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Qe2 Ngf6 6. Nd6# 1-0[/pgn]
This smothered mate is similar to a trap in the Budapest gambit where white gets smothered