The Hillbilly Attack and how to refute it · Caro-Kann Opening Theory

[@Socratesthegreat]

i have been waiting for hanging pawns to deep dive analyze this variation for a long time, and here it is!!!

[@rizka7945]

4:13 As a fellow Caro-Kann player, in this position I've been avoiding all the mess simply by trading. My Caro-Kann instinct in general is to trade that bad bishop for the f3 knight in most positions when they spend a tempo for h3. After 6...Bxf3 7.Qxf3 black follows-up with e6, Nf6, bishop somewhere, castles kingside. Zero issues except for the bishop pair but that's what you get by playing the Caro-Kann. In compensation, black has a better center, fast and natural development and a safe king. Stockfish says equal or slight advantage for black.

[@bluefin.64]

At depth 32 Stockfish gives -0.2 to Bh5, Bxf3, and Bf5. After some quick analysis, if I still played the Caro-Kann I think I'd choose Bf5. Bh5 is a mess, as you put it, but Bxf3 looks too peaceful. Bf5 seems like a good middle ground.

[@JackinJoshi]

Yes, That White Square Bishop is Never Good

[@IOSALive]

Hanging Pawns, nice content keep it up bro

[@3looy]

Scammer

[@chesswithGibby]

I've always heard this was a bad opening but never got to see how to refute it. Thank you!!

[@k.p.agarwal9240]

Thank you for this video....I play Caro kann ....and this always gives me trouble

[@HangingPawns]

I hope it stops giving you trouble after this video:D It's really not a good opening.

[@RayT70]

After 1. e4 c6 2. Bc4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bb5+ Why not play 4. Bd7 ? If 5. Bxd7+ Qxd7 6. d4 e6 7. Nf3 Nc6 Black has solved all of his opening problems.

[@WmozartAYT]

12:25 After g3 qh4, bc5 what if g4 directly?

[@MrIAMpeanut]

Hey Stjepan. Since you are revisiting some e4 openings again is it possible to cover in greater detail the Scandinavian Variation of alekhine defense. It was briefly talked about and i think it deserves more attention. As someone who plays alekhine it is actually fairly common to face. Thanks for the work you do 🤠

[@henkkeizer6940]

Thanks for the video, I was just wondering what if white plays g4 in the Bf5 line with Qh4. Do you just go back Bd7?Bc8? or are we feeling adventurous and go for g5?

[@DethScarred]

I was wondering this as well. The computer says g4 is the best move for white.

[@henkkeizer6940]

Also just noticed this question was already asked and answered down below in the comments , so sorry for the repetition

[@dusk5121]

This is such a blessing I recently saw I score awfully against this dumb line

[@spd7693]

5:57 - does Black castle further down this position? Judging by the location of the pawns of both, maybe you can even get away with a long castle. Of course, I guess White should go Nd2 and try to exchange queens, at least that's what I would have done.

[@jesseedge9875]

I have a couple questions, at 5:40 what if the white desperadoes the bishop first? Also what if at 9:34 after Bf5 white plays the immediate g4 dislodging the bishop

[@faizz2807]

great content bro

[@HangingPawns]

Thanks!

[@AradRezagholizadeh]

Can you Make a playlist about gambits? I think it's very useful. Thanks for opening theories

[@bavieo]

What if white goes Qf3 when on the Bf5 line?

[@merimackara]

no way the caro kann theory is continuing

[@HangingPawns]

I'll be covering the Breyer too:) Patching up the entire e4 playlist.

[@soulinsearchofmeaning]

One suggestion y should do accelerated panov

[@salemtv5808]

wouldn’t be better to block the check in the first line with the bishop on d7 and eventually trade light square bishops? bare in mind that i’m very low rated player :)

[@bluefin.64]

Bd7 is what I used to play when I played the Caro-Kann. White doesn't automatically trade bishops. Other moves are protecting it with a4 or Qe2, or retreating it to e2. Stockfish says all these lines give Black a slight edge, about the same as lines after Nc6 and Bg4.

[@salemtv5808]

@@bluefin.64 yes i follow bd7 with a6 to convince my opponent to take action :) the lines suggested in the video , for me, very theoretical and need precise play …very sharp..did u abandon caro? what did u replace it with?

[@drdularekhan6772]

Rousseau gambit plz plz plz

[@DrakoLykoi]

I still like 1. e4 c6 2. Bc4 d5 3. Bb3 a5!? 4. a4 dxe4 5. Qh5 g6 6. Qh4 Na6 7. Qxe4 Nc5. Also even 5...e6. The idea of course is to provoke White to play 4. a4 after 3...a5 then go after White's bishop on b3 with Nb8-a6/d7-c5.

[@AbsentMindedMathematician]

I really don't understand the benefit of Bb5+ variant of Hillbilly Attack compared to 1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bb5+. White just wasted a move by moving the bishop twice for absolutely no reason.

[@Panos5563]

any advice for not getting into time trouble cause in rapid i always get in slightly better positions and then lose bcs i have no time would rly help me🙏

[@Sensei_Emu]

I'm curious to know what your plan is in the Bb3 line after Qh4, Bf5 and then they go g4. Do you go back with the bishop on c8? or do you give the pawn back with g4, Qxg4, Bg3? Because to me that felt like a pretty spontaneous move, but I don't understand the position that comes up with g4

[@HangingPawns]

Yeah. You just go back to c8, since the g-pawn blocks the queen from attacking e4 now. So 1. e4 c6 2. Bc4 d5 3. Bb3 dxe4 4. Qh5 g6 5. Qh4 Bf5 6. g4 Bc8. And if Nc3 now you just give up the pawn with Bg7 and on Nxe4 go Nf6. The weakness on g4 and our lead in development is enough for an advantage. The engine gives -1which may be a bit optimistic, but it's definitely better for black.

[@LG-fp9ji]

G5 looks fun too and isn’t frowned upon by the engine, that might be a good blitz candidate

[@Marb86278]

​@@LG-fp9jiI had that in my reportoire for a while too, but it contains too much different and deep lines in which black has to sacrifice material for not-so-obvious compensation to remember for me. One such example continues: 6.g4-g5 7.Qxg5-Bg6 8.Qe5-Nf6 9.g5 threatening to win a piece. 9...Nbd7 10.Qc3-Ng4 white can't take the rook as the queen will get trapped in the long run or worse. Of course the line continues from here and white has many options. At some point I forgot to play 9...Nbd7 which results in an inmediate loss. So I rather stick to Bc8, it is much simpler and less memorization, which I believe is nice for a sideline which is not frequently played.

[@LG-fp9ji]

@@Marb86278 thanks for the great feedback!

[@LG-fp9ji]

Oh well, I am already not sure what to think of black’s hopes after 11. Qg3. I see what you mean

[@7567BotS]

Can you do a video on the f3 gambit against the Caro? (after the classical dxe4 white plays f3)

[@HangingPawns]

I'm not sure that needs a whole video. As long as you don't blunder Bf5 Bxf7 you should be fine. But I'll go over it and see.

[@7567BotS]

Maybe with precise play it's not harmful to a good player, but for blitz it's very annoying, unlike other sidelines against the Caro-Kann.

[@christian7054]

"When h4 happens, play Re4". Why not simply take the undefended Knight? I guess there is a d4, e6 missing?

[@DredN41]

Thanks, stjepanhere.

[@chessqld5877]

and 6. g4

[@marccark2764]

I dont see the mate after the queen goes to H5 .... The king can escape via e7 cant he?

[@AMC1603]

It's not mate but white has a huge attack after Qxf7 and d3 and will win quickly

[@LG-fp9ji]

Indeed, but you still wouldn’t like that to happen would you?

[@User-Oshdbwhsuhdbrbhs]

Bro looks like Elon musk

[@KeepChessSimple]

Lol no

[@moazyasser8777]

He looks like lewandowski

[@MaverickJohnson007]

Wut? 😂

[@thegreatgazoo7579]

Come on, get a better thumbnail! That guy with the pitchfork is not a hillbilly! Its like you are referring to Cossacks then using an image of a Winged Polish Hussar!

[@cainking7943]

This is why it’s a video on anti hillbilly

[@HangingPawns]

I just love the painting because of the guy's expression. And he has a pitchfork! I'm sure mr. Wood would forgive me for using his farmer as a hillbilly:D

[@thegreatgazoo7579]

@@HangingPawns LOL I accept your reason, thanks for being candid! P.S. the guy with the pitchfork was intended to represent an Iowa farmer from the plains, not an Appalachian hillbilly. Nothing in common save they are both rural.

[@gurgleblaster2282]

​@HangingPawns It was his dentist lol.

[@DeclanTKatt]

Also commenting here as an American: we have plenty of hillbillys, but Iowa farmers are not them. Wrong part of the country.

[@mammeljuice]

I have to say the picture you chose for your thumbnail is more like a farmer not a hillbilly