Caro-Kann Defense
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Caro-Kann Defense 1. e4 c6 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 (Approx. 80% of Caro-Kann Games) The Caro-Kann Defense is named after H. Caro of Berlin and M. Kann of Vienna who analyzed the first analyzed the opening in the 1890’s. Black's Idea is to give up the center pawn for easier development, and not to have his Bishop on c8 "trapped." Contrast this with French Defense where Black maintains a center pawn, but gives up mobility and the Bishop on c8 is "trapped." The Caro-Kann works better for overly aggressive players (for White) and good endgame players (for Black). White’s Ideas / Goals Black’s Ideas / Goals 1. Control the Center immediately by playing d4. 1. Contest the Center 2. Develop pieces ASAP. Try to gain control of 2. Develop pieces ASAP without creating any more Space. major weaknesses. 3. Two basic strategies: 3. Black usually attacks on the queenside, A) Kingside Attack. Note that White can usually especially if White castles there. invade on the light squares. 4. Exchange pieces that reduce White’s attacking B) Central Breakthrough. If Black has not chances and increase your endgame winning castled, White can open the e-file (or the chances. center) by playing d5, even if this means sacrificing the pawn. www.freewebs.com/kensoffice/chess.htm Caro-Kann Defense Variations: 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 A. Main Line (50%) 3.Nc3 (or Nd21) dxe4 4. Nxd4 1 Nc3 is play 32% of the time and Nd2 is played 18% of the time. A1. Classical Variation (50%) 4. …Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 A2. Steinitz Variation (32%) 4. …Nd7 5.Nf31 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.Bc4 Bf5 8.O-O e6 15.Bc4 Ngf6 6.Ng5 e6 7.Qe2 Nb6 8.Bb3 h6 9.N5f3 A3. Bronstein-Larsen Variation (17%) 4. …Nf6 5.Nxf6+ gxf6 B. Exchange/Panov-Botvinnik Attack Variations (26%) 3.exd5 cxd5 B1. Panov-Botvinnik Attack (65%) 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nf3 Be71 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Bd3 Nc6 9.O-O O-O 10.Re1 Bf6 1Bb4 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Bd2 Nc6 9.Bd3 O-O 10.O-O Be7 11.a3 Bf6 B2. Exchange Variation (25%) 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Nf6 6.Bf4 Bg4 7.Qb3 Qd7 8.Nd2 e6 9.Ngf3 Bxf3 10.Nxf3 Bd6 C. Advanced Variation (24%) 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf31 e6 5.Be2 Nd7 6.O-O Ne7 7.Nh4 Bg6 8.Nd2 c5 9.c3 Nc6 10.Nxg6 hxg6 11.Nf3 1Or 4.Nc3 e6 5.g4 Bg6 6.Nge2 c5 7.h4 h5 8.Nf4 Bh7 9.Nxh5 cxd4 www.freewebs.com/kensoffice/chess.htm Sicilian Defense 1.e4 c5 For Black, the Sicilian Defense is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's 1.e4 (and the most successful first move for White is 1.d4). The Sicilian Defense was analyzed by Giulio Polerio in his 1594 manuscript on chess, and the name actually comes through the English translation (by Jacob Sarratt in 1813) of an old Italian manuscript phrase "il giocho siciliano." The Sicilian Defense was fairly popular during the 1800’s, but fell out of favor in the late 1800's. However, the Sicilian Defense was revived in the 1940’s and 1950’s by players such as Miguel Najdorf and Reuben Fine. Further efforts from world champions such as Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov helped place the Sicilian Defense as the defense that offers Black the most winning chances against 1.e4. White’s Ideas / Goals Black’s Ideas / Goals 1. Develop ASAP. And since White has more 1. Trade the c pawn for White’s d pawn. This will kingside space, he should develop pieces there. give Black a central pawn majority (= more 2. White will have a lead in development, control of the center) and a half open c-file. especially since black must make more pawn 2. Castle kingside. moves to free his pieces. 3. Attack queenside. It is also likely that Black 3. Attack kingside. will advance the queenside pawns. 4. Depending on the variation, White can castle to 4. Central strike. Because White will attack the either side. kingside, a central strike at right moment is the 5. Control the light colored squares. best response. 5. Black usually has better endgame chances. 6. Control the dark colored squares. 7. Often: Double rooks on c-file 8. Possible: If white castles kingside, sacrifice the rook for the knight on c3. This creates holes and weakened pawn structure around the King. www.freewebs.com/kensoffice/chess.htm Sicilian Defense Variations: 1. e4 c5 A. Open Defense, 2.Nf3 (78%) White plans to open the position and use his (future) advantages of space and development. 2.Nf3 A1. Main Line, 2. …d6 (41%) 2. …d6 is played to control central dark squares, prepare Nf6, and to free the c8 Bishop. 2. …d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 A1-1. Najdorf (44%) 5. …a6 is played to prepare 6. …e5 (or e6) and prevents White from playing Bb5+ or Nb5. It also prepares Black’s b5 pawn push and queenside minority attack. Black plan is also to attack the pawn on e4 by playing b5, Bb7, and playing the knight to c5. Play often transposes into the Scheveningen Variation (see A1-4). 5. …a6 6.Be21 e52 7.Nb3 Be7 8.O-O O-O 9.Be3 Nbd7 10.a4 b6 11.f3 Bb7 12.Kh1 Qc7 1 Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd2 Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 Nfd7 (Poisoned Pawn Var.) 2 e6 transposes to the Scheveningen Variation (see A1-4). A1-2. Classical (28%) 5. …Nc6 is a natural developing move that defers how to develop the f8 Bishop. This variation is usually named after White’s 6th move. 5. …Nc6 A1-2A Richter-Rauser Attack, 6.Bg5 (46%) White’s plan is create a pawn weakness and to play Qd2 and O-O-O 6. Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.O-O-O Bd7 9.f4 b5 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.Kb1 Qb6 A1-2B Fischer-Sozin Attack, 6.Bc4 (23%) White attacks e6 and also plans f4 followed by f5. White can castle to either side. 6. Bc4 e61 7.Be3 Be7 8.Qe2 a6 9.O-O-O Qc7 10.Bb3 O-O 11. g4 Nxd4 12.Rxd4 b5 13.g5 Nd7 1 Qb6 7.Nb3 e6 8.O-O Be7 9.Be3 Qc7 10.f4 a6 11.Bd3 b5 (or O-O) A1-3. Dragon (15%) Black's bishop is developed to g7, where it aims along the long black diagonal towards White's queenside. Black plan is to castle kingside, put his rook on the c file, move his queen to a5, and attack on the Queenside by pushing forward his a and b pawns. Black may also sacrifice the rook for White’s knight on c3 which will create holes and a weakened pawn structure around the King. White most common plan is the Yugoslav attack: castle queenside, play f3 to help control the center, try to exchange Black's Bishop on g7-bishop, and attack Black's king by advancing his g and h pawns. www.freewebs.com/kensoffice/chess.htm (A1-3. Dragon, Cont.) 5. …g6 6.Be31 Bg7 7.f3 (Yugoslav Attack) O-O2 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.O-O-O3 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 e5 13.Bc5 Be6 14.Ne4 Re8 1 6.Be2 Bg7 7.O-O O-O 8.Be3 Nc6 2 Nc6 8.Qd2 O-O 9.O-O-O (or Bc4 and play continues like main line or footnote #3) 3 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.O-O-O Rc8 11.Bb3 Ne5 12.h4 h5 4 12.Nxd5 cxd5 13.Qxd5 Qc7 14.Qc5 Qb7 A1-4. Scheveningen (12%) Black creates a "small" center (pawns control d5 and e5), plans to castle kingside, and retains the flexibility of a central break with either e5 or d5. White the choice of several plans: Keres attack (6.g4), Classical (6.Be2), English attack (ideas similar to the Yugoslav attack in the Dragon Variation), etc. A1-4A. Classical (29%) 5. …e6 6.Be2 a6 7.O-O Be7 8.f4 Qc7 9.Be3 Nc6 10.a4 O-O 11.Kh1 Re8 A1-4B. Keres Attack (24%) 5. …e6 6.g4 h6 7.h4 Nc6 8.Rg1 d5 9.Bb5 Bd7 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxd5 exd5 A1-4C. English Attack (16%) 5. …e6 6.Be3 a6 7.f3 b5 8.g4 h6 9.Qd2 Nbd7 10.O-O-O Bb7 11.h4 b4 12.Nce2 d5 13.Ng3 dxe4 14.Nxe4 Nxe4 15.fxe4 Nf6 A2. Main Line, 2. …Nc6 (31%) 2. …Nc61 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 1 A developing moved that helps control the central dark squares and prepares Nf6 A2-1. Sveshnikov (43%) Black forces action in the center at the cost of permanently accepting a weaker d5 square, on which White will ultimately try to settle a knight or a bishop. 4. …Nf6 5.Nc3 e51 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Nd52 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c3 1 d6 leads to the Classical Variation (A1-2) 2 Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5 f5 11.Bd3 Be6 A2-2. Taimanov (25%) 4. …e6 (See Taimanov Variation, A3-1) A2-3. Accelerated Dragon (15%) Accelerated Dragon simply aims to put early pressure on d4, but does allow White to play c4 and gain control over d5.