Karpov Variation of the Caro-Kann Defense (B17) ⎸Chess Openings

[@benbentrup9433]

This was my first video of yours I watched. You spoke with such authority, clarity, speed, and logic - and the depth of your presentation was perfect as well (beautiful English, too). I was amazed when I saw another video of yours and learned that I was a couple of hundred ELO or more above you, when I had assumed after this video you were at least an IM. I've rewatched this one a couple of times, and am still in awe. Bravo!

[@HangingPawns]

Thank you! It feels great to hear such positive feedback. I'm glad you found the video useful. I wish theory was enough to reach IM level. I have been playing chess for two years now, studying amost every day, and one thing I learned is that theory can only get you so far. Most of my defeats happen in the late middlegame, far away from any theoretical lines. Once I get better at middlegames I will make progress:) You made my day!

[@jonshive5482]

@@HangingPawns You can say that again. How many thousands of hours have I spent studying chess from books instead of gaining experience from playing and solving tactical puzzles? There are players in the Philippines who brag that they never read books, learning only from playing, watching others play, and teaching themselves an opening repertoire. No doubt they also have exceptional visualization and calculating skills which probably can't be taught. Some cats got it, some cats ain't...

[@thibaultbossert8863]

That seems cool to try for that one game in a hundred where white doesn't play the advanced variation

[@shibranair2461]

you stupid bro ?

[@remustdr246]

At my low elo I have literally never seen anyone play anything but exchange variation sadly

[@Bronek0990]

@@remustdr246 I face a 50-50 mix of Advances and "Exchange-but-I-don't-know-what-to-do" mostly. I was surprised recently when for the first time, at 1950 lichess, some 8-year-old kid pumped out the most trying positional line of the Exchange and I had to ruin my pawn structure to develop the LSB. Normally opponents just let me pin the f3 Knight immediately.

[@joebrowse5338]

@@Bronek0990 which like was this? In my experience even in the main lines I can develop my LSB, and if they play Bd3 and h3 to stop that then it allows e5

[@lucasvanleeuwen4130]

I played a grandmaster today and I played as black, used the Karpov variation against him. He complimented me for it 😂

[@markn3586]

i had been hunting for a different way to meet e4 after playing the Caro-Kann most of my life. However, I've never tried this variation. I think I'll abandon the other things I was trying and return to the Caro-Kann. I find this variation interesting and I think it will invigorate my passion for the Caro-Kann. Thanks for the nice video.

[@misterdemocracy3335]

These lectures combined with LiStudy and I’m understanding this so much better. Highly recommend combining these lectures with either Chessable or LiStudy which both use spaced repetition which helps massively in committing basic theory moves to memory. Thanks!

[@shibranair2461]

try johan hellsten books its great for basi understanding of openings and even in the openings it have relevant key concepts in middle games such as prophylactics pawn breaks pawn majorities passed pawns and etc

[@ii_deepz_ii8293]

thx for showing me these 2 sites to study, i never heard of them and theyre awesome

[@misterdemocracy3335]

@@ii_deepz_ii8293 no problem and good luck on your chess journey!

[@ii_deepz_ii8293]

@@misterdemocracy3335 thx very much

[@Hybridman7]

I enjoy how you showcase not only the basic mecanics but the directing idea proper! Thanks!

[@netcompany9032]

Very great effort from you is felt by everyone who watched this. I am glad to see people like you making such effort and putting it as free content on KZbin. Words cannot describe my happiness that I am getting better in the opening I like without paying for it. Thanks!!

[@fminc]

This is the most solid line. Karpov was Karpov for a reason. [...4 K d7]. Thanks Stefan.

[@gabrieltavares8034]

Hi, I'm Gabriel, I'm Brazilian and I'm watching the playlist to learn and improve my repertoire, I met the channel a week ago and I'm really enjoying it, great videos, I learn a lot! I will start the series of ninzoindia defense. Thanks for the videos and the channel! Manda um abraço para a galera do Brasil hahahahaha/ (Send a hug to the guys from Brazil hahahahaha) 😁😀

[@TheMarcelbruno]

Bora Brasil. 😁

[@gabrieltavares8034]

@@TheMarcelbruno opa!!! Salve kkkk

[@WiesoNurMistnamen]

Exceptional series, thank you! I would love to see such a good series about Nimzo-Larsen

[@pianomilan8863]

Awesome video series, I love it! In the Bc4 variation, it's important to mention not to develop your Bishop to the naturally looking g4, because that already loses after Bxf7, Kxf7 and Ne5 :D

[@XbxGGamer]

7:05 I think you should've talked about the big blunder Bg4 for Black, with Ne5 winning the game.

[@arislabra3929]

Excellent lesson!

[@mikaelballack1821]

Very nice video !It really helped me for my preparation!

[@HangingPawns]

I'm very happy to hear that! That supposed to be the purpose:) Please do ask if you'll need any further help with the opening

[@ineverlie9436]

U will become famous soon in youtube

[@michaelfortunato1860]

The Tartakower has offered me mixed results. I am going to try this. Thanks!

[@sorbas-irokanshi5256]

How did it go? Everybody says how good the tartakover is, but I feel so much pressure when I play it. maybebthis variation will be better…

[@robertcooper1952]

Excellent video, thanks!

[@mvnfred]

Thank you for making this!

[@HangingPawns]

No problem:) Let me know if you manage to apply it! Any input is more than welcome too.

[@makentosh956]

Thank you

[@driescoelmont8498]

There's another deadly trap after Qe2 on move 5 for white, because if you play something normal like Ngf3 there's a smothered mate for white on d6. So 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. nxe4 nd7 5. Qe2 nf6(??) 6. nd6#

[@samuelm9799]

He literally mentioned it

[@maikk28]

I saw the video this morning while having coffee, this afternoon I logged in to play blitz, got the Karpov variation on the board and won fairly easy! Do you review games?

[@winstonrooseveltarchiboldg4786]

Very good video!!!

[@HangingPawns]

Thank you Winston!

[@jonbudi]

Terima kasih

[@narayan243]

Thanks

[@numair8188]

This is really nice.thank you

[@jeupham]

An excellent video : thank-you !

[@irinaivanova9401]

this is super cool as usual. Will you make a video about Caro-Kann Two Knights variation or did i miss one?

[@HangingPawns]

I will:) Next up is the Two Knights, then the Main Line, Bronstein-Larsen and Korchnoi. I'm covering all the lines. Thanks again for watching!

[@dietjoke5673]

good vid. Very helpfull

[@krunalhamal5309]

I didn't like the Caro Kann as black before watching this series...now I think that the Caro Kann is quite good and positional reply to 1.e4

[@HangingPawns]

I'm happy to hear that! Caro-Kann is a great opening and it combines positional and tactical knowledge. Great for getting better at both too. Let me know if you'll need some help!

[@mikestubbs1708]

@@HangingPawns This opening is also very good against opponents who expect the Sicilian! C-K is extremely solid; just look at players who have used it in the past, such as some of the GMs!!

[@MrKostol]

5. Ng5 - an aggressive line, but easily dealt with - completely wrong, black has to play lots of accurate moves to survive, so 4. ...Nd7 was for years under the cloud and only recently Ding revived this line.

[@HangingPawns]

Well, i think 5 Ng5 can be dealt with. Of course you have to know what you're doing. Caro-Kann generally leads to trouble if you don't. I think the Karpov is solid considering the traps in the other lines. But, yeah, 5.Ng5 is tricky;)

[@thebrightf]

Isn't it also called the Steinitz Variation?

[@bulentkirca3311]

Thank you a lot for this very instructive video. I am from Istanbul/Turkey and I met your channel a little while ago. I am thinking to look at all your Caro-Kann videos. May I ask you to speak a bit slower. I hope I am not alone to ask that :) :)

[@HangingPawns]

Thank you for watching! And I will try to speak more slowly:)

[@bulentkirca3311]

Thank you. I like much your videos :) but slower please :)

[@rengarmono43]

Belo vídeo!!

[@kyoukeu1140]

on 12:55 what if Nxf7? Will it be the same because you retreated your knight to d7?

[@hennobrandsma4755]

Nf3, Pgf6, NxN, NxN, c3, Bf5, Ne5, e6, g4!? Is what I lately encountered. What do you suggest there?

[@reneepaz8077]

Nice, very nice, thank you, would like to request if you could do the same for the sicilian accelerated dragon and the caro kann brother the slav

[@HangingPawns]

I'm starting a series on the French defense now that I've finished the Caro-Kann. The Sicilian is coming right behind that:) (and the accelerated dragon will be the first video)

[@reneepaz8077]

Thank you very much, looking forward for the Accelerated Dragon (AD), also please do not forget the Caro- Kann twin brother the Slav, and maybe in the near future the Nimzo-Indian. The Caro Kann and Slav share the same structure and ideas, both are very solid, and good versus very aggressive players, and both can serve as one main defense for the rest of their chess career (soltis book). The Accelerated Dragon and Nimzo are also solid openings with a bit of bite, that is good for winning with the black pieces. The problem with the AD are the many tricks and traps that white can employ in the early stages between moves 4-10, that the black player needs to know, remember and understand, and this is where you come in. Your presentation style (the moves and ideas of the opening variations, and how they relate to each other) is AWESOME, you have a way of making the fundamental ideas and variations of the opening really stick in one's brain. I have watched so many chess videos and yours by far is the best, please continue doing this. As proof, I watched the above video, knowing nothing about the variation and tested it in chess.com, the results 10 wins using the karpov variation ideas that you presented.

[@HangingPawns]

I don't know how to thank you for this feedback enough:) Reading this is perhaps my single most favorite moment since I started my channel!

[@Illovejesus9578]

what if you play b5 after Bc4

[@ineverlie9436]

Bro can u do a kings indian attack video..

[@kayraaktukmak]

13:22 would qe7 work?

[@fvpeyerl]

Deep Blue won Kasparov using the "weak" Ng5 variation!

[@toesdoeswhoknows704]

fvpeyerl Wow a fucking computer beat a human

[@mercilpb]

*Kasparov blundered and gave up the sac for no reason

[@chungboislim2061]

I came to this video because I'm looking on Lichess and it says 5.Ng5 is the most common move for masters and has the highest winrate. So I'm not sure why you are saying it's inferior. It also has the highest winrate when looking at the entire database. There has to be a reason for this, disappointed you just kind of skipped over it.

[@mitchellwilliams2491]

What do you think about pinning the knight with bg4?

[@HangingPawns]

Hmm. It is often a waste of time because white's bishop can then take the other diagonal and white is never really treathening to capture.

[@mitchellwilliams2491]

I need to get out of exchanging my light squared bishop for the knight on f3

[@HangingPawns]

@@mitchellwilliams2491 Yup. That's generally a bad idea. More often than not the bishop will prove more valuable.

[@SerLaama]

Advance variation, _not_ AdvanceD variation.

[@RayT70]

❤🙏👍

[@ApiweCS]

Lost to 5.Qe2 once 🤦🏿‍♂️

[@rowlandsibakwe2039]

Minority attack

[@sliceserve234]

"5.Ng5 is an inferior move, and 5.Qe2 is a tricky move?" What? I think 5.Ng5 is the move still preferred by GMs, and 5.Qe2 is a patzer's trick.