Caro–Kann Defence

In the Caro- Kann Defence or shortly Caro-Kann is an opening of the chess game. It is one of the half- open games and is classified in the ECO codes under the keys B10 to B19.

The basic position of the Caro -Kann Defense arises after the moves (see also: Chess notation):

1 e2- e4 c7 - c6

History

The name goes back to a 1886 published in the brotherhood analysis by Horatio Caro, although the first known game was played with this opening as early as 1847. Even Marcus Can addressed the opening ceremony. 1910, she was in the known short game Réti - played Tartakower. Popular the opening was, however, only when Aaron Nimzowitsch included it in his repertoire. In a world championship match, the Caro- Kann Defence was first applied in 1958 by Mikhail Botvinnik.

In the modern tournament practice is the train first ... c7 - c6 c7 - c5 after 1 ... ( Sicilian Defence ), 1 ... e7 - e5 ( Open Games ) and 1 ... e7 - e6 ( French defense ) is the fourth most common answer to the most frequently played opening move 1 e2 -e4. Prominent representatives of the black style of play are included former world chess champion Anatoly Karpov and Evgeny Bareev. The former world champion Viswanathan Anand attacks often back to the Caro- Kann Defence.

Strategic basic idea

With his opening move Black is planning the subsequent expansion in the center with 2 ... d7 -d5. In contrast to the Scandinavian defense is played in the right in the first train 1 ... d7 -d5, Black ( 3 e4xd5 ) can 'if hitting the pawn in his turn to strike back with a farmer (3rd ... c6xd5 ) and thus maintain its central position. Caro-Kann pursued to the extent the same idea as the French defense, 1 ... e7 - e6. Significant differences from the French defense consist, inter alia, that the white -squared bishop can be developed c8 c8 - h3 on the diagonal and is not blocked by the farmers e6. In addition, after the exchange on d5 there is no symmetrical position. That the Caro- Kann Defence is still played less often than the French Defence, is because it is difficult for Black to attack the white center, as it did in the French defense with c7 - c5, Sb8 - c6, Qd8 - c7 / b6/a5 does. Games that are opened with the Caro- Kann Defence, run quieter than in the French defense in the main variants.

Variants

The main variants of the Caro-Kann arise after the other trains:

2 d2 -d4 d7 -d5

Main variants with 3 Nb1 - c3 / 3 Nb1 -d2

White maintains the tension in the center, covered by the farmers e4. The variants after 3 Nb1 - c3 or 3 Nb1 -d2 go to the tensile impact 3 ... d5xe4 with 4 Sc3/Sd2xe4 into each other. Former world chess champion Anatoly Karpov preferred during his active career development after d2 to the Modern System - 3 ... g7- g6 and g7 following Läuferfianchetto - his pawn on d4 to support by means of c2 - c3.

Variants after 3 Nb1 - c3 (or 3 Nb1 -d2 ) d5xe4 Sc3xe4 4 (or 4 Sd2xe4 ):

• Classical system: 4 ... Bc8 - f5 5 Ne4 Bf5 - g3 - g6

The tour of the white -field runner invites White to the aggressive and most played train in this position: 6 h2 - h4. It threatens h4 - h5 with winning the bishop pair and white advantage by, for example, 6 ... Sb8 - d7 7 h4 - h5 Lg6 - f5 8 Sg3xf5 Qd8 - a5 and Da5xf5. Therefore Black gives his bishop by 6 ... h6 h7 h7 the escape box. In this variant both sides Lf1 -d3 Lh7xd3 10 Dd1xd3 usually castle long after further 7 Sg1 -f3 d7 - Sb8 8 h4 - h5 - h7 Lg6 9. White tries his space advantage to take advantage on the kingside and in the center, while Black tries to put pressure on the half-open d-line and possibly to blow up White's center by the lever ... c6 - c5. The advanced white h- pawn can be in the final for weakness.

• Flohr-System/Petrosjan-Smyslow-System: 4 ... Sb8 - d7

The idea of this solid system is to attack the white knight on e4 with 5 ... Ng8 - f6 and fight back in case of Abtausches on f6 with the knight from d7 to avoid a weakening of the Bauer position. White has the opportunity to prepare with the aggressive 5 Ne4 - g5 and following Lf1 -d3, Sg1 -f3 and possibly Dd1 e2 - knight sacrifice on f7 or e6. The sixth and final game of the competition between the chess computer Deep Blue and the former world chess champion Garry Kasparov on 11 May 1997, it was decided by such a knight sacrifice on e6 in favor of the chess computer (see Deep Blue # The matches against Kasparov ). With accurate play Black can avoid such victims and hope for a full game.

• Bronstein - Larsen Variation: 4 ... Ng8 - f6 5 Se4xf6 g7xf6

In this variant takes a Black doubled pawns in buying and receives on the half-open g-line and through its center Bauer active play. However, the black structure also has significant disadvantages: The Doppelbauer makes the black match inflexible, and the isolated h- pawn in the endgame tends to be weak.

• Tartakower - Nimzowitsch Variation: 4 ... Ng8 - f6 5 Se4xf6 e7xf6

Here White has a pawn majority on the queenside ( 4 white against black farmers 3 ), which is why a farmer or minor piece endgame for Black is mostly lost. Whilst there are some black through a pawn majority on the kingside, these results because of the doubled pawns but at no yeomanry. But Black can make a quick character development and after the short castling a safe king position.

Variants with 3 Nb1 - c3 without exchange on e4:

• Gurgenidze Counterattack: 3 Nb1 - c3 b7 - b5
• Modern or Gurgenidze system: 3 Nb1 - c3 g7- g6

The Panov Attack

3 e4xd5 c6xd5 4 c2 - c4 Ng8 - f6 5 Nb1 - c3. Black has three main continuations:

• With 5 ... e7 - e6 Black renounces the development of his white -squared rotor according to f5 or g4 and consolidates its center. After 6 Sg1 -f3 Bf8 - e7 7 c4xd5 Sf6xd5 8 Lf1 -d3 Sb8 - c6 creates a typical isolated pawn position of Improved Tarrasch defense. This also applies to 7 c4xd5 Sf6xd5 with 6 ... Bf8 - b4 instead Bf8 - e7. 6 Sg1 -f3 Bf8 - e7 7 c4 - c5 is therefore classify as Caro-Kann way. After a further short castling Black intends to leverage ... b7 - b6 pawn. If its white farmers c5 precaution covered by 8 b2- b4, the Sc3 is unfunded. This will be Black counterplay in the center and on the kingside Search by ... Nf6 -e4. This shows, for example, to in 7 c4 - c5 0-0 8 b2- b4 -e4 Nf6 9 Dd1 - f7 - f5 c2.
• After 5 ... c6 - Sb8 an independent variant complex, which leads to very concrete game partially and is analyzed down to the endgame begins. Mikhail Botvinnik example, defeated in the tournament in Moscow in 1935 Rudolf Spielmann in just 12 moves. Although Black can continue to develop his bishop after f5 or g4, but he has to reckon with the push c4 - c5, which is stronger with the black knight on c6 than without: After the lever ... b7 - b6 this is uncovered and can be attacked by Lf1 - b5. For the other black farmer ... e7 - e5 lever of Abtausch Lb5xc6 would be detrimental. After 5 ... c6 6 - Sb8 Lc1 - g5 or 6 Sg1 -f3 - g4 Bc8 begin standalone versions, while 6 ... e6 e7 each performs diverter to the first variant. 6 ... Be6 was an attempt to Alexander Alekhine 's
• 5 ... g7- g6 sacrificed after 6 Dd1 -b3 rather temporarily farmers d5 with 6 ... Bf8 - g7 7 c4xd5 0-0.

The Advance Variation

In contrast to the Advance Variation of the French Defence Schwarz develops after 3 e4 e5 mostly his runner with 3 ... Bc8 - f5 to e7 - e6 with ... to strengthen in the next train to the point and the d5 pawn lever ... c6 - c5 prepare. White has numerous opportunities in the fourth train: Lf1 -d3, h2 - h4, g2 - g4, Sg1 - e2, c2 - c4, c2 - c3, Lc1 -e3, Nb1 -d2, f2 - f4, and

• The positional Short - system: 4 Sg1 -f3 followed by 5 Lf1 - e2 and
• The sharp Van der Wiel system: 4 Nb1 - c3 e7 - e6 5 g2 - g4 - g6 Bf5 6 Sg1 - e2.

The variants with f2 - f4, c2 - c3 and Lc1 -e3 can also go through diverter into one another.

Often the black bishop on f5 is the target white attacks, for example by g2 - g4, h2 - h4 - h5 or Sg1 - e2- g3 or Sg1 - e2- f4 or may be absent in the case of opening the queenside by c2 - c4 there. That's why lately wins the continuation 3 ... c6 - c5, Mikhail Botvinnik played in the World Chess Championship 1961 three times against Mikhail Tal, again in popularity.

In addition to variants

• Exchange Variation: 3 e4xd5 c6xd5 4 Lf1 -d3. After following c2 - c3 and ... e7 - e6 this position corresponds to the exchange variation of the Queen's Gambit with colors reversed. 4 ... Ng8 - f6 prepares ... Bc8 - g4 ago. After 5 h2 h3 Sb8 - 6 c6 c2 - c3 e7 - e5 7 d4xe5 Sc6xe5 Black does have a isolated pawn, but free play. From the year 2007, the exchange variation came on in the form of 2 Sg1 -f3 d7 -d5 3 Nf3 - e5 e4xd5 c6xd5 4. This so-called "Apocalypse Attack" complicates the development of Bc8 and reserves Lf1 - b5 ago.
• Fantasy Variation: With 3 f2 -f3 Although the farmer e4 are met; this train is true, however, as a two -edged sword, because it does nothing for the development of the characters. Black can with 3 ... e6 e7 - plus ... Ng8 - f6 or g7- g6 3 ... continue. Another interesting idea is the Springer to develop according to d7 and e7, and then attack with c5 or e5 White's center ( lever ). Not infrequently continues with 3 ... 4 d5xe4 f3xe4 e7 - e5 ( threatening Women Chess on h4), so the situation is clarified somewhat in the center and receives Black free piece play. Analogous to the Blackmar - Diemer Gambit can also sacrifice a pawn with 4 Nb1 - c3 (after 3 ... d5xe4 ) of Catching instead.
• Two Knights System: 2 Sg1 -f3 d7 -d5 3 Nb1 - c3. This was played by Bobby Fischer like. By 3 ... d5xe4 4 Sc3xe4 Bc8 - g4 Black complicates the white center formation.
• King 's Indian Attack: 2 d2 -d3 with the idea 3 Nb1 -d2, g2 - g3 4, 5 Lf1 - g2 etc.
• Anti- Caro-Kann: 2 c2 - c4 A stand-alone sequel is 2 ... e7 - e5.
• 2 ... d7 -d5 3 e4xd5 c6xd5 gives the Panov system. 3 ... Nf6 plays to lead in development.