I may stop playing the Caro-Kann. Here's why. · Training Game

The Caro-Kann can be an unforgiving opening. If you don't get counterplay, it's hard to play.

I love the Caro-Kann, but sometimes when I play it I feel powerless. It's as if all the important decisions are being made by white, and I'm left to defend and react. That's usually the case in the Classical variation, when things don't get tactical quickly.

#chess

[HangingPawns]

Here's a random fact I just heard. It's illegal to own just one guinea pig in Switzerland. It's considered animal abuse because they're social beings and they get lonely. What?:D

[marcusbuffett]

I can’t be the only one that wants to see the blooper at the end of the previous training game 😆

[FlunkedMath]

I recently swapped from the Caro to e5 and I've been loving it. It's really nice not being cramped from the opening and grabbing an equal share of the center from the first turn.

[СавелийБерезнев]

Why don't you play the Tartakower? You DO get counter play, and it's probably the reason why nobody plays classical variation anymore at highest level.

[MartinZanichelli]

Panno said to us recently in his classes at River Plate that the problem of the Caro Kann is the bishop outside the pawn chain....

[eclecticexplorer]

Watching Stjepan's training games, I realize that one skill where I am somewhat lacking is the ability to visualize the board through a series of moves. I could never manage to play a blindfold game, as Stjepan did in a recent video, and it amazes me the way he runs through a series of several moves so quickly when he is calculating. It's something I shall have to work on.

[System.Error.]

I changed from Caro to Sicilian and life became much more fun

[mdarshaq]

Something like Noctie is exactly what I've been hoping to use, and it's so amazing to find out that something like it already exists!

[Luis_]

Hvala ti za sve informativne šahovske videe. Tek sam nedavno saznao da si Hrvat, to me jako obradovalo! 🇭🇷

[laidbackstrat]

As someone around your level (2250 lichess rapid, 1800 FIDE, a bit lower than you) I feel like you calculate way too many variations. As in, in neutral positions, you're calculating anti-positional stuff for your opponent and tiring yourself over moves that won't happen (or where you'll be better if they do, so no need to calculate deeper before he even makes a move). Like when you're worrying about Qf3 which wasn't really a big threat.

A good example is at 16:00, where you start calculating other variations when it's clear that White has to move their knight because your threat of taking it (forcing queen takes and allowing you to infiltrate) is too strong. Be more confident in your position!

[OttoTheDoge]

I would pay to see him swearing all over in two languages haha.
You should release it to Patreon members :D

[ОлегЧирков-лы]

I stopped to play caro-kann few months before and play it only in bullet and 3 minutes blitz. Now I play sicilian and very happy.

[desouj]

Have you tried out played 1...e5 as Black? The positions you get have more counterplay even if White strays from the main lines. Giucco piano positions with ...Bc5 have flexibility as Black can play either ...a6 or ...a5 (modern move played by a lot of grandmasters today to stop a4 and b4 advance). Scotch game can be responded by either ...Bc5 classical variation or ...Nf6 schmidt variation (a personal favourite of mine). Ruy Lopez can be countered by played ...a6 eventually going into marshall gambit (forced drawing line with good attacking positions in blitz/rapid) or the berlin defense with ...Nf6 (a nightmare for some players).

The only thing is 1...e5 has a lot of theory, so the reportoire I would say is

Ruy Lopez (berlin defense or marshall attack)

Scotch game (Schmidt variation ...Nf6)
Classical Mieses sidelines (6.Bd3 is most common for me, I just play ...d5 against it)
Modern Mieses main line (6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4 Ba6 is the main line). There are other sidelines on move 8.

The reason that I don't like Classical scotch is due to White has a comfortable slight edge in Be3/Nb3 lines.

Italian game (Giucco piano ...Bc5, not two knights as it goes into the fried liver attack - it's complicated)
White can either play for c3 d4 old main line or c3 d3 modern line (if they play 0-0 immediately, they can go for deutz gambit or transpose into classical italians c3 d3)

Spend time on looking through on how to deal with the italian gambits first.

Evans gambit Accepted (You can take the b4-pawn) and when c3 is played, you can either play ...Ba5 or ...Be7. 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 d6 is bronstein defense, which forces White to play Qb3 or he can easily have a worse position. White's attack isn't scary as ...Bb6 followed ...Na5 is guaranteed, regardless of if he takes the e5-pawn.

Four knights italian (you can play ...Nxe4)

Scotch gambit (...Bc5 lines, don't play ...Nf6 as it becomes a lot more complicated as it transposes into max lange attack)
Four knights Scotch (play ...Bb4)
King's gambit accepted (classical variation ...g5 or schallopp defense ...Nf6 if those don't work out you can play ...Ne7 Bonsch-Osmolovsky variation)

Vienna Game (...Nf6 falkbeer variation or ...Nc6 is good)

Bishop Opening (aim to play ...Nf6 and ...Bc5 to transpose into italian)
Urusov gambit (play ...Bb4+)

Miscellaneous gambits have their answers by playing normal developing moves.
Center game 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 danish gambit, just ...d5 them. The gambit isn't scary.


I taught myself 1...e5 last year and I feel more secure playing 1...e5 than the caro-kann. The reason because while the caro-kann is a good opening, I feel that White usually feels comfortable due to the pawn structure. Black can have chances but usually Black is the one to equalize the position and go into an endgame. This can be preferable for classical time controls but in rapid or blitz, it gets quite tense if you are unable to defuse White's attacks in time. It's easier to get a solid position and mount a queenside attack or kingside attack in 1...e5 than 1...c6 for me.

The books that taught 1...e5 for me was Yuriy Krykun's book (a complete opening repertoire for Black after 1.e4 e5). It's a good book that I found on forwardchess by accident which started my journey into playing 1...e5. The only disadvantage for me is that the book only goes ...a6 italian novelties, ...Ne7 main lines used in king's gambit accepted, classical scotch and open spanish novelities.

Sadly, there isn't a book on the ...a5 lines in the italian, so it is harder to receive that information other than searching and looking through grandmaster games on lichess or chessgames for ideas.

There is a good book on the berlin defense by Micheal Roiz.

The last books that I quite like (with great scotch schmidt variation into), with useful italian like dealing with Bg5 in some lines, and the marshall gambit is

Bologan's black weapons in the open games (has information on ...g5 in king's gambit accepted)

Bologan's ruy lopez for Black (has information on the marshall attack theory.
Understanding the marshall attack by David Vigorito.
It's better to understand the ideas of the marshall than the theory itself.

Overall, 1...e5 is more fun to play against White than the caro-kann. I spent time learning the caro-kann through Bologan's caro-kann (a good book as well but it doesn't have the tartakower variation) and I just couldn't get it when I did reach the positions in the book.

The worst feeling that I got is from the breyer 3.Nf3 lines. Those positions are not fun. Black barely gets anything going in those lines. It's what forced the switch to 1...e5 for me.

[aliriodevenosa]

Hi Stephan, i would love to ask you some questions.
I'm not judging your play, i did not analyse the game, i'm only asking strategically.
1.I played that structure, i played many time the "Scandinavian", and the setup with the bishop on g2 it's usual in that type of line? isn't it useless? it seemed pretty solid to me for white but maybe a little anodine. Due to that, and not evaluating for what happened later, wasn't c5, which usually breaks well, a big unintentional succor? An unasked, unexpected, unforeseen sudden help to him?

[johnmcallister]

As a beginning chess player interested in the Caro Kann, you are the second prominent content creator I've seen abandoning or considering abandoning the Caro Kann after years of playing it. Perhaps it's just best to learn a Sicilian variation.

[skriabinfly]

Yes, get an alternative option to the CaroKann. E4e5 or a good Sicilian will give a variety of pawn breaks for strategic flexibility and richness. Else you can get stuck in a one-dimensional rut. You will always have CaroKann in your back pocket.

[diggitus]

Everyone advocating for 1...e5-- yes of course it's better, but it's 10x more theory than the Caro Kann. Not for everyone.

[lakshyabang]

This line of the caro is like colonoscopy, no matter how much you are prepared it will hurt. After Nxe4 I think there is only one good one and it is Nf6.

[hyrexexe]

I know i'm a bit lower rated to give an advice (around 1800-1900) but i wanna suggest the tartakower variation i've been playing it for a while now and giving good results

[ELOFIDE-sbqk]

Honestly I think you should try e4-e5 in your repertoire. You really are a classical player!