This variation may be the toughest challenge for Caro-Kann players · Road to GM, Game 381

[@gabrieluzunovic7758]

I was his opponent. A truly heartbreaking game. Time trouble got me.

[@knightfork0]

did u prep against him using this channel?

[@gabrieluzunovic7758]

​@@knightfork0 I wasn't. We played two games in one day, and I didn't really have time to prepare, so I just played what I usually play.

[@SEAKPhotog]

Wow, tough loss! Time trouble is a killer.

[@GeneralBlorp]

Time trouble is a result of someone being better than you tho, no? If he weren’t as good your moves would be more obvious? So was it really _time_ trouble?

[@gabrieluzunovic7758]

​@@SEAKPhotog For sure. I had two minutes for the whole endgame.

[@RagnarChess-ndjiskf65]

I use the g6 variation instead of Nc6 against the panov and it’s honestly one of the variations I enjoy seeing the most as a Caro Kann player at the 2000 level. If you sac the d pawn (they’ll have to play cxd5 eventually so you’ll always get it back) and play Nbd7 and Nb6 you get a semi comfortable position where white often has an IQP if they don’t throw in d5-d6 where you have to play exd6 at some point, and even then black is fine. I highly recommend it.

[@Epikur63]

Many Caro-Kann players don't know that they can avoid the Panov main lines completely by switching to a line of the Queens Gambit Accepted with 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 dxc4 5. Bxc4 Qc7. This position is more often reached via the move order 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 c5 4. Bxc4 cxd4 5. exd4 Qc7. The line got out of fashion but was played by e.g. Anthony Miles and Peter Leko several times so it is fine. Please note that after Qc7 which attacks the bishop on c4 black can respond to whites most common reply 6. Bb3 with Bg4 because the bishop on c1 is only protected by the queen.

[@AnlamK]

That seems far far better than the variation in the video with ...Be6 - it feels very unnatural to play ...Be6 when the pawn is on e7. The game also showed how Black can easily lose co-ordination. Your variation feels a lot more natural.

[@dowaliby1]

Thank you for this wonderful channel. I found it earlier today when looking for instruction on the Roy Lopez opening. I will be studying many of your videos and know that it will help me greatly to improve.

[@romanmironets8317]

Everybody knows it's Ruby Lopez not Roy Lopez, cmon

[@dowaliby1]

@@romanmironets8317 If by chance you are making fun of my spelling, you should be making fun of the server's auto-"correct" function. I wrote RUY, but apparently it got changed to ROy. Or maybe the server has a sense of humor" and knew the correct spelling, but was just trying to solicit sarcastic comments.

[@AnlamK]

12:00 I don't think it was a joke; it was a plausible theory. I do think the neighbors may be drilling a tunnel for pawn smuggling. The Croatian investigators need to be involved imo.

[@yoannhappe9281]

2'40" white can take the knight then push the pawn on d5 with a fork. After some exchanges white seems to be slightly better.

[@thinboxdictator6720]

you couldn't take the pawn after Qxc4 dxc4 Rd1 because knight was still on c3

[@jaydub2971]

Expected this to be about the Fantasy Variation, as that's the one that made me seek an alternative to the Caro-Kann vs. 1.e4.

[@Larciliaa]

Qb6 lines are really annoying for white in the fantasy

[@diggitus]

I'd still play the Caro Kann if I could get the fantasy variation every game! Love it

[@AyoolaLadapo-hg7vs]

15:19 Is Qe1 mate? Why Qc8

[@anubhavvyas7781]

it was supposed to be after rook e2 then this would not work.

[@AyoolaLadapo-hg7vs]

@anubhavvyas7781 Yh, He corrected himself after😅

[@JulianKarpiuk]

11:15 - after Rb7, Ba6, you can take on b1 and not lose the exchange I think. But I agree the position looks difficult.

[@pablourosa1443]

Why don't you play the lines with e6 instead of Nc6? I think it would suit your style more

[@JulianKarpiuk]

When I played the Caro, I liked the e6 variation with a quick Bb4 and not letting my opponent get started on the c5 plan. White in theory can play c5 imidiately after e6 but from what I remember (I havent played the caro for some time) black could attack the chain with b6, a5 and white wasn't quite ready to support the pawn chain effectively. Also I kind of dislike the positions with g6 and Bg7, without the potential e5 break to attack the base of the white's pawn chain I felt like black's plans are more difficult to execute. Cheers!

[@bluefin.64]

19:09. Rd1 doesn't fail to Bxc5 because the knight on c3 protects the rook. No sooner did I say we haven't seen one of these elementary oversights from you for a long time than it happens again. Did I jinx you? :-) Seriously though, it takes time to solve whatever issues are affecting you, and you need to stay aware of them.

[@rikuran7042]

14:38 Re8 Bb7 is Mate in 2: Qe1+ Nxe1 Rxe1# But Rb2 indeed looks bad.

[@Arashkhatami_zn]

Bro, why did your rating isn't change?

[@prabhatkiranmukherje]

Stjepan, a small request, this disturbs me so much. Why do you constantly disrespect your opponents by rounding their ratings downwards in all cases? Would it hurt you to say 1861? Or if you're alway rounding 1900 rather than 1800 makes more sense here. I don't know why but this really bothers me and it feels a little disrespectful in some ways.

[@KnightToRemember]

This is a common habit, I’m sure he would consider himself more 1900 than 2000