Chess Openings: Beating The Caro-Kann With Tricks And Traps

A variety of different systems for beating the Caro-Kann defence with amazing tactics, tricks, traps, and quick zaps

What you'll learn
Be able to play important punishing tactical moves, tricks and traps against the Caro-Kann Defence Chess Opening
Be able to to have a wide variety of systems and ideas to try out against the Caro-Kann which match your personality and needs and other factors
Be able to see early tactical combinations in the Caro-Kann defence that often can even be against natural looking moves
Be able to nickname yourself "The Caro-Kann Punisher" if you fully understand all the examples given :)
Be able to see the range of tactics early on in a chess game against the Caro-Kann defence and see that is not that solid depending on specific circumstances
Be able to assess "solidity" especially in regard to where bishops are neglecting key squares
Be able to play stunning tactics and combinations and understand more the basis for their very existence
Be able to get a better grip on the downsides that cause tactics, tricks and traps to be successful or not
Be able to understand more the philosophies behind great chess tactics, tricks and traps
Be able to get a firmer grip on the basics of winning chess and practice your forcing move awareness as well as downside awareness of the opponent's position
Be able to get a variety of different Caro-Kann opening variations and moves to try out for fun and improved results
Be able punish "suspicious" looking moves as they create subtle "scents of downsides" which your sense of smell should improve dramatically
Be able to replace more your routine habitual moves with more "punishing" moves right in the Opening when the opponent may still be asleep or in auto-pilot mode
Be able to experience a wide variety of variations against the Caro-Kann Defence getting awareness of specific downsides to punish in specific ways
Be able to play the Advance variation knowing a great set of model games and practice as a side effect the e5 pawn chain structure
Be able to play the Panov-Botvinnik attack knowing a great set of model games and as a side effect experience the benefits of the Isolated Queen's pawn
Be able to play the "Fantasy" variation knowing a great set of model games and as a side effect see the benefits and power of a semi-open f-file
Be more comfortable in general with the pawn structures of the key variations of the course and the tactical implications they provide
Be able to tackle the main-line variation of the Caro-Kann with greater confidence knowing a great set of model games
Be able to use a number of surprising and effective sidelines to avoid the opponent's preparation resources and try and get opponent's to have to improvise
Be able to use the Goldman variation with great effect blowing the opponent's king wide open if they blunder early
Be able to play against against the Korchnoi variation (exf6) with more confidence knowing a great set of model games
Be able to play against the Bronstein-Larsen (gxf6) with more confidence knowing a great set of model games
Be able to see the distinguishing power of the accelerated Panov Attack - early c4 with great model games
Be able to employ the Von Hennig Gambit which can really help destroy opponent's quickly and effectively especially the greedier opponents
Requirements
Knows the basic rules of chess and how the pieces move
Description
The Caro-Kann chess opening (1.e4 c6) has become a very popular opening of choice for players playing against 1.e4 and can be a tough nut to crack. Several leading influencers have proposed the Caro-Kann in recent years increasing its usage massively online and at higher levels of play. Many players see it as a solid alternative to the French defence (1.e4 e6) but without having the so-called "bad bishop" issue. It can often lead to better endgames for black given it is structurally solid. This course shows how you can often smash the Caro-Kann in the early stages of a game or achieve a lasting advantage after the opening phase. Winning quickly in chess is a very practical skill to have for conserving energy and time.  The classic book "The Art of War" indicates that the good fighter wins with ease. If you can with ease, you can have more energy and enthusiasm for your next round game - and in serious chess, this can mean also more time preparing for the next round opponent the next day. In online chess tournaments for the "all, you can eat" tournaments, being able to win quickly can help you win a lot more tournaments or come in the top 3 or top 10 players in the end. A number of different variations of the Caro-Kann are explored from the White perspective including:Classical Variation: 3…dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5Modern aka Karpov Variation: 3…dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7Bronstein–Larsen Variation: 5…gxf6Korchnoi Variation: 5…exf6Gurgenidze Variation: 3.Nc3 g6Advance Variation: 3.e5Exchange Variation: 3.exd5 cxd5Main line: 4.Bd3Panov–Botvinnik Attack: 4.c4Tartakower or Fantasy Variation: 3.f3Two Knights Variation: 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 (or 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3)Going through the tricks and traps and quick zaps will also help improve your tactical understanding of pawn structures in relation to King placement and piece placement. Thus helping reinforce intuition for specific principles of playing against the Caro-Kann to achieve great advantages from the Opening.

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Introduction

Section 2: Main Line 1.e4 d6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 / 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4

Lecture 2 Rudolf Spielmann vs Aron Nimzowitsch - 1905

Lecture 3 Kingscrusher Favorite! - Richard Reti vs Savielly Tartakower - 1910

Lecture 4 Rudolf Spielmann vs Savielly Tartakower - 1910

Lecture 5 Alexander Alekhine vs R Verberne / A Hinlopen - 1933

Section 3: Classical Variation 3.dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5

Lecture 6 Raoul Gaudin vs Guerineau - 1915

Lecture 7 Georges Koltanowski vs Arthur Dunkelblum - 1923

Lecture 8 Paul F Johner vs Hans Kmoch - 1925

Lecture 9 Israel Albert Horowitz vs Ion Gudju - 1931

Lecture 10 Thomas Pompeu Accioly Borges vs Adhemar Da Silva Rocha - 1933

Lecture 11 Robert James Fischer vs Robert Henry Steinmeyer - 1963

Lecture 12 Robert James Fischer vs Steve Moffit - 1964

Lecture 13 John F Adams vs E Ott - 1967

Lecture 14 Andris Abakuks vs C Russ - 1971

Lecture 15 Frederick Rhine vs Alberto A Artidiello - 1976

Lecture 16 Katrine McCarthy Metge vs P D Corbett - 1976

Lecture 17 C Reilly vs Mike Tavel - 1980

Lecture 18 Greg Hjorth vs Marcelo Javier Tempone - 1982

Lecture 19 Ed Kerney vs Joey D Everidge - 1983

Lecture 20 Bela Perenyi vs Stefan Buecker - 1984

Lecture 21 Gordon Holcomb vs Basil Goreff - 1984

Lecture 22 Eric Schiller vs Jim Warren - 1990

Lecture 23 Rafael Duailibe Leitao vs Amir Bagheri - 2000

Lecture 24 Harmen Jonkman vs Leon Pliester - 2005

Lecture 25 Jorden van Foreest vs Igor Khenkin - 2017

Section 4: Modern Variation (AKA Karpov variation) : 3.dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7

Lecture 26 Andre Lilienthal vs Juri Randviir - 1947

Lecture 27 Andres Vooremaa vs Helmuth Luik - 1962

Lecture 28 Jiri Lechtynsky vs Karel Opocensky - 1967

Lecture 29 Bela Perenyi vs Laszlo Eperjesi - 1974

Lecture 30 Mark Evans vs Paul Anthony Garbett - 1977

Lecture 31 Boris Spassky vs Helmut Pfleger - 1979

Lecture 32 Rainer Tomczak vs Laszlo Lako - 1987

Lecture 33 Kamran G Shirazi vs Serban-Constantin Neamtu - 1987

Lecture 34 M Z Ali vs Bertil Westin - 1987

Lecture 35 John Nunn vs Mikhail Tal - 1988

Lecture 36 Mikhail Tal vs Eduard Meduna - 1989

Lecture 37 William N Watson vs Eduard Meduna - 1992

Lecture 38 Victor S Kolesnikov vs P Piatnitsky - 1994

Lecture 39 Radoslav Dolezal Jr. vs Zdenek Neuschl - 1995

Lecture 40 Deep Blue (Computer) vs Garry Kasparov - 1997

Lecture 41 Andrei Kovalev vs Anna Ushenina - 2003

Lecture 42 Joanna Dworakowska vs Per Ofstad - 2005

Lecture 43 Dusko Pavasovic vs Drago Zelenika - 2005

Lecture 44 Sarunas Sulskis vs Edwin van Haastert - 2014

Lecture 45 Yehuda Gruenfeld vs Andrew Kayonde - 2018

Section 5: Bronstein-Larsen variation 5.gxf6

Lecture 46 Erich Marchand vs M Reiss - 1954

Lecture 47 Jiri Vesely vs Karel Opocensky - 1962

Lecture 48 Julio Kaplan vs Nicolas Rossolimo - 1967

Lecture 49 Mikhail Tal vs David Bronstein - 1982

Section 6: Forgacs Variation aka Tartakower variation aka Korchnoi Variation 5…exf6

Lecture 50 Viacheslav Ragozin vs Isaac Boleslavsky - 1942

Lecture 51 Chulkov vs Gavemann - 1947

Lecture 52 Andrija Fuderer vs Jan Hein Donner - 1952

Lecture 53 Albin Planinc vs Stojan Puc - 1969

Lecture 54 David Bronstein vs Boris Ritov - 1978

Lecture 55 John Nunn vs Keith Arkell - 1987

Lecture 56 Mark Paragua vs Aditya Prasetyo - 2000

Lecture 57 Ruben Felgaer vs Alejandro Bauza - 2001

Lecture 58 Dieter Pirrot vs Jonathan I M Grant - 2008

Lecture 59 Tom H Stonehouse vs Paul Kent - 2012

Section 7: Advance Variation 3.e5

Lecture 60 Tal Variation - Bujakin vs Iosif Livshin - 1966

Lecture 61 John Nunn vs Maxim Dlugy - 1986

Lecture 62 Super Brutal! - Gata Kamsky vs Petter Fossan - 1987

Lecture 63 Victor Bologan vs Antonio Campanile - 1994

Lecture 64 Nigel Short vs Vidmantas Malisauskas - 1994

Lecture 65 Tamaz Gelashvili vs Panayiotis Kakogiannis - 2001

Lecture 66 Yuri Shabanov vs Volkhard Igney - 2001

Lecture 67 Bayonet Attack - 4.g4 - Alexander Morozevich vs Andrey Zontakh

Lecture 68 Arkadij Naiditsch vs Alexander Galkin - 2006

Lecture 69 Tal Variation - Tamaz Gelashvili vs Amangeldy Nauryzgaliev - 2006

Lecture 70 Tal Variation - Rune Djurhuus vs Oystein Hole - 2006

Lecture 71 Ilia Smirin vs Valerij Popov - 2010

Lecture 72 Garry Kasparov vs Emil Sebastian - 2014

Lecture 73 Bryan G Smith vs Victor Hansen - 2014

Lecture 74 Sergei Movsesian vs Mihail Saltaev - 2015

Lecture 75 Sunilduth Lyna Narayanan vs Johannes Haug - 2017

Section 8: (4.Bd3 - Rubinstein Variation) Exchange Variation 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3

Lecture 76 Siegbert Tarrasch vs Theodor von Scheve - 1879

Lecture 77 3..Qxd5 - Ed Trice vs Deep Thought (Computer)

Lecture 78 Sunil Weeramantry vs Paul Manning - 2000

Section 9: (4.c4 Panov-Botvinnik Attack) Exchange Variation 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4

Lecture 79 Castling Q-side can be risky! - Vladas Mikenas vs Salomon Flohr - 1933

Lecture 80 Mikhail Botvinnik vs Rudolf Spielmann - 1935

Lecture 81 Alexander Alekhine vs Bruno Strazdins - 1935

Lecture 82 Ludwig Engels vs May - 1937

Lecture 83 Osmo Ilmari Kaila vs Paavo Visa Kivi - 1949

Lecture 84 Wlodzimierz Schmidt vs Carlos Maalouf - 1961

Lecture 85 Isolated Queen Pawn Perks - Jan Plachetka vs Jana Bellin - 1964

Lecture 86 Evgeni Vasiukov vs Alexander Zaitsev - 1968

Lecture 87 Igor A Zaitsev vs NN - 1970

Lecture 88 Bjarne Light vs Henrik Danielsen - 1982

Lecture 89 Hartmut Zieher vs Herrmann - 1982

Lecture 90 Viswanathan Anand vs Michael Adams - 1987

Lecture 91 Andrei Kharlov vs Eduard Khlian - 1992

Lecture 92 Harriet Hunt vs David Flower - 1993

Lecture 93 Marat Muhutdinov vs Vladimir Burmakin - 1995

Lecture 94 Victor Bologan vs Juan Borges Mateos - 1999

Lecture 95 Ralf Christ vs Igor Berezovsky - 2001

Lecture 96 Charles H Storey vs Graham Lee - 2004

Section 10: Fantasy AKA Tartakower AKA Maroczy variation 3.f3

Lecture 97 f3 not available against French Defence because of dxe4 fxe4 Qh4+

Lecture 98 Karel Hromadka vs Josef Dobias - 1911

Lecture 99 Roy Turnbull Black vs Horace Ransom Bigelow - 1923

Lecture 100 Savielly Tartakower vs David Przepiorka - 1929

Lecture 101 Vladimir Grigorevich Kirillov vs Nikolay Grigoriev - 1931

Lecture 102 Trap Alert! - Savielly Tartakower vs NN

Lecture 103 J Dent vs Deirdre Colmer - 1953

Lecture 104 Throstur Thorhallsson vs Lev Polugaevsky - 1988

Lecture 105 Ismet Burovic vs Franck Arino - 1991

Lecture 106 Nigel Rodney Davies vs Mike J Surtees - 2007

Lecture 107 Helgi Dam Ziska vs Christian Bleis - 2007

Lecture 108 Thomas Beerdsen vs Mark A Berkovich - 2013

Lecture 109 Spyridon Kapnisis vs Daniel Hristodorescu - 2015

Section 11: (A Bobby Fischer favourite!) - Two Knights Variation 1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3

Lecture 110 Trap Alert - Early Ne5 and Qh5 - Lasker vs Trotsen - 1908

Lecture 111 Rudolf Spielmann vs Max Walter - 1928

Lecture 112 Ludwig Roedl vs Adolf Kraemer - 1929

Lecture 113 Willi Schlage vs Haum - 1937

Lecture 114 Wurm vs Auer - 1937

Lecture 115 COMMON Trap Alert! - Alexander Alekhine vs Ronald MacKay Bruce - 1938

Lecture 116 Alexander Alekhine vs F Gambino - 1945

Lecture 117 COMMON Trap Alert! - Friedrich Vogt vs Heinz Lehmann

Lecture 118 Svetozar Gligoric vs Djordje Avirovic - 1949

Lecture 119 Svetozar Gligoric vs Roman Toran Albero - 1952

Lecture 120 Paul Keres vs Emanuel Guthi - 1964

Lecture 121 Hector Gambit: Lawrence Day vs David Grimshaw - 1965

Lecture 122 Common Trap Alert! - William Lombardy vs G Alan Clark - 1966

Lecture 123 Albin Planinc vs Mikhail Podgaets - 1970

Lecture 124 Sergey Kudrin vs Andrew Soltis - 1983

Lecture 125 Wisniewski vs Halasiewwicz - 1993

Lecture 126 Pedro Lezcano Jaen vs Raul Sanchez - 1994

Lecture 127 Hans-Kristian Simonsen vs Jorge Molina - 2006

Lecture 128 Harshit Raja vs Ramil Faizrakhmanov - 2016

Lecture 129 Jon Kristinn Thorgeirsson vs Bragi Halldorsson - 2018

Lecture 130 Jean-Noel Riff vs Martin Lokander - 2018

Lecture 131 David J Eggleston vs Thomas Bopp - 2018

Lecture 132 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs David Navara - 2019

Section 12: 3.Bd3 - can lead to a nasty trap!

Lecture 133 Charles Ambrose Scott Damant vs NN - 1932

Section 13: General - after 1.e4 c6 2.d4

Lecture 134 Anatolij Bannik vs V D Atamanov - 1964

Lecture 135 Oscar Maass vs Filiberto Terrazas - 1973

Lecture 136 Aleksandr Karpatchev vs Remel Oney - 2006

Lecture 137 Luis Fernando Ibarra Chami vs Zurab Javakhadze - 2007

Section 14: Breyer Variation - 1.e4 c6 2.d3

Lecture 138 Leonid Stein vs Isaak Birbrager - 1966

Section 15: Gurgenidze System (black plays an early g6)

Lecture 139 Kenneth Rogoff vs Steve Spencer - 1969

Lecture 140 Rene Borngaesser vs Hermann Lodes - 1988

Section 16: Goldman Variation (1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Qf3)

Lecture 141 John Nunn vs Roger R Smith - 1970

Lecture 142 Jonathan Berry vs N Bjel - 1977

Lecture 143 Juozas Dainauskas vs Blecher - 1980

Lecture 144 Fernando Ribeiro vs Juan Jose Lloret Ramis - 1995

Lecture 145 Jan Schoepe vs Istvan Csom - 2011

Section 17: Accelerated Panov Attack (2.c4)

Lecture 146 Yuri S Razuvaev vs Eduard Meduna - 1979

Lecture 147 "Lines of torture!" - John Nunn vs Tigran V Petrosian - 1982

Lecture 148 Mikhail Tal vs Guillermo Garcia Gonzalez - 1986

Lecture 149 Bill Wall vs Romeo Samo - 1988

Lecture 150 Rafael Vaganian vs Grigory Serper - 1993

Lecture 151 Joel Lautier vs Victor Bologan - 1999

Lecture 152 A J Goldsby vs David Jacobs - 2000

Lecture 153 Normunds Miezis vs Craig A Hanley - 2001

Lecture 154 Maurizio Brancaleoni vs Giovanni Vignato - 2001

Lecture 155 Andrey Shariyazdanov vs Valery Petukhov - 2004

Section 18: Von Hennig Gambit

Lecture 156 Gerard Welling vs Hans Marzik - 1981

Lecture 157 Philipp Buerki vs Sabine Plauth-Herr - 1992

Lecture 158 David Moody vs Jeff Aldrich - 1998

Lecture 159 Danyyil Dvirnyy vs Eric Sos Andreu - 2012

Section 19: Standard. Unorthodox Replies

Lecture 160 I Talib vs Jose Antonio C Silveirinha - 1994

Lecture 161 Anna Muzychuk vs Valentina Gunina - 2014

Section 20: Conclusions and Philosophical points

Lecture 162 Conclusions

Lecture 163 Bonus Lecture

Beginner to Intermediate Chess players