Turning balanced positions into free wins | Caro-Kann Defense

www.chessable.com/alex-banzea...
lichess.org/coach/Banzeus
00:00 Intro
01:24 Game 1 (Exchange w c3)
11:06 Game 2 (Exchange w Nc3)
22:26 Game 3 (2.f4)
30:54 Game 4 (Exchange w Nc3)
42:43 Game 5 (Advance Variation)
51:30 Game 6 (Advance w Bb5)
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[@AlexBanzea]

You can now...check out my Caro course! www.chessable.com/the-caro-kann-simplified/course/171080/

[@Conqueror9121]

15:56 What happens if NxD4 instead of Nf6 is this not just winning

[@Edn4]

Alex’s true skill is having both sides of a conversation 😂 love it!

[@gainesdominique]

True.

[@ashishk1997]

Just when i start struggling in converting caro games after opening moves you came with this video. You have been my favourite chess youtuber recently. You are good with those light humours examples.

[@kevinespina3289]

I LOVE THESE TYPES OF VIDEOS YOU PUT OUT! IT HELPS ME SO MUCH IN MY LONDONA AND CARO GAMES BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY COMMON MISTAKES. KEEP THESE VIDEOS COMING!

[@JoE_Songs]

14:02 i love the mental pictures you paint. lol. "falls from the chair, mom starts calling..." i just imagine a total mental breakdown... hilarious, dry humor. f***ing love it

[@brazilianmonk7670]

Hey Alex. Your videos have been way more instructive for me compared to other chess teachers or streamers. Your humor is hilarious to. Don't stop teaching and making videos. There's people in the world that appreciate you like myself. You showed me how to be an advanced thinker and raise my elo and I will never forget you.💯

[@banzaiburger9589]

I will neither confirm nor deny the penis lengthening effect of playing the Caro-Kann, but my elo has certainly “hardened” and improved thanks to Mr. Banzea

[@victorshilin9360]

21:51 I think it's worth mentioning, in some positions like this the pawn on d4 is not really hanging, because white has Bxe8, removing the guard of g7. In this case Bxe8 doesn't work because white Queen can be chased away from the g file and white will end up losing a bishop on h6.

[@Conqueror9121]

15:56 Instead of Nf6 does he not have Nxd4 because if Bxe8 black wins a Queen with Ne2+

[@shift.5137]

@@Conqueror9121Ne2+ blunders the knight because white’s knight on c3 do move backwards. I think victor was thinking after Nxd4 Bxe8 eliminating the defense of g7 renewing the threat of Qxg7 mate, black have the important defensive resource Nf5 attacking the queen on g3 the bishop on h6 and defend g7. No matter Where the queen goes, black will take the bishop on h6 with the knight and white will have to retrieve the bishop on e8, and in the end, black will be up a pawn.

[@charlescedricjoseph430]

I have been learning from your Caro-Kann master class. I am 3 hours in and it is wonderful content. I know what I am doing this weekend! Thank you for the videos Alex, great job!

[@Jayhunnidband.]

Said this earlier but I came across your channel roughly a week or two ago! Since then I’ve been hooked. I love your videos and they’re super informative / entertaining . Keep them coming Alex 🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@richardevans560]

I love Alex's teaching style and his analogies - The one about having to go to school but having sandwiches from home still makes us laugh :)

[@jonathansampson7450]

3:16 "Pretty much the same as when you enter a new grocery store. First things first - find the alcohol section" had me dead 💀💀

[@Fenamer]

Please make more vids about the London and Caro!

[@jtekholm]

Apart from the absolutely massive knowledge bombs I'm getting from Alex's videos, my second favourite thing is the multitude of parables he throws out! This video had at least alcohol spot in a supermarket, petting a dog, robbing a shop and many others! Love it love it!

[@knight1fox253]

Alex, you have the best commentary on KZbin. I find myself laughing out loud watching your videos. Which is great, because it distracts me from how bad I am at chess 😅

[@grooviegroovz]

LOVE this Caro-Kann series! Thank you

[@dudemcgyverson]

You only missed the free pawn once, if you had moved your c6 knight the LS bishop was x-raying the knight on e8 defending checkmate. He could have snapped it off then won until he moved his DS bishop away next turn

[@Gamblebeats]

just go kf5 after

[@Isaac-bb3pj]

Queen defends the knight on e8 so even Qxe8 would've been fine.

[@dpgsince85]

great to see your videos and your personality out more. youre a great teacher!

[@UB958]

These Bb5+ happen soooo often. It's bad if you know how to counter it so your video is great for this :)

[@user-yf5tv8hi3e]

Looking forward to the caro course Alex! Cheers m8

[@randomdude8060]

It’s such a flex. how he casually lets his clock run down and then just gets mate in like 5 seconds.

[@Fuddy3000]

i love your stories Alex, hilarious and very helpful

[@olahely]

I was struggling to find a top quality caro Kann teacher who also has a great sense of humility until I found you. Sende of humour is also spot on

[@darryljdennie]

Love your videos and super excited for your course! Would it be possible to do a few videos where all of the matches are based off of the same variation of the Caro? Like one video with just just games of the advanced, one video with just games of the exchange, etc? Thanks for the lessons!

[@gainesdominique]

Why is this guy so funny? The humor makes sense to me as he explains. 😅

[@richardfredlund8846]

I love the grocery shop analogy. It's like this guy knows me already. ... more seriously this is awesome ...whole series on the Caro which is definitely my favourite opening as black.

[@nictamer8754]

Thank you for these very instructive and funny videos!!

[@wellplayed8921]

These random surprise analogies crack me up it's usually when I'm reminded to like the video. How u say them all the time but I never see them coming 😂😂😂

[@kaidoChess]

6:14 SENT ME 😂😂😂

[@lemmingbcn]

Since I do not study chess openings and I am afraid of all the aggressive gambits people usually play, I have been playing this Caro for years now and I am happy that I applied your strategy even before watching your videos. The minority attack in these structures really gives black a very comfortable game and I have won so many games playing like this. And more important you skip a lot of theory you don't really need at this level.

[@TheOzoneLayer7]

Alex my friend I wish you weren't so hard on yourself, thank you for all the lessons you've shared!

[@bravinjacobs2570]

love your videos....i still suck at chess but your dry humour keeps me coming back

[@teputube]

Instructive and funny! Open columns = alcohol area :) Thank you for all your videos, learning a lot from them!

[@Firebaat]

I only remember the comparisons to real live but they help a lot :D

[@wallylawrence]

"take all his stuff, his wife included" had me rollin on the floor.

[@user-vq7bk4jn6c]

Great material Alex

[@rafeeqh1]

I'm not which I like more, the chess advice or the anecdotes!

[@user-kd9fl9yj9v]

On the move 13 of the Game 2 I was confused about taking the pawn right away, because afterwards there's Bishop takes Ne8 threatening mate / losing rook. But then there's classy 14...Nf5 both defending g7 from mate, winning a tempo on g3 queen and attacking the bishop on h7, wow

[@meatcomposite4896]

thanks. i was wondering this as well.

[@williampalmer5766]

Hi Alex, love your teaching style. When is your Caro-Kann course coming out on chessable?

[@DISTRICTOVERDOSE]

beautiful vid alex

[@rockstarpicante]

lol. Fun and funny channel. You gave me a few laughs. Thanks for the tips. Great Job!

[@nidzoki]

Thank you Alex! I have surpassed 1200 elo blockade thanks to you.

[@mohammad1906]

I like the sudden change in face expression at 5:41

[@mayomayo5648]

Great lines off and on the board! haha. My Romanian anecdotes have improved just as much as my chess.

[@arthurwieczorek4894]

25:28 Remove the guard, fork. To avoid this I have to think, 'Where is my king going to be when I castle? Oh; on an open diagonal. Should I allow the check? NO.'

[@davidbarker5823]

The knight: "am I a joke to you?" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@hemannft4744]

Hilarious and thank you🙌🏽

[@SzymonCFG]

Cant wait for the caro course! Do you have a waiting list, or mail list to get notified about the release?

[@someguyontheinternet7628]

I can confirm huge growth since subbing. Will probably buy the caro course and ditch the scandi.

[@vinoth2762]

Great video. Can you tell tentatively when is the chessable course coming?

[@thealchemist1480]

How he bought alcohol first in ur groceries. loved it!!!

[@shaheerirfan8099]

I like his confidence on his jokes and im all for it 😂😂

[@luukhoogma905]

Tour vids the best

[@Caddy-jy6id]

Best teacher out there

[@Viraj__Sharma]

Please make video on Queen's Gambit

[@kamranmalik3817]

Was 600elo when i started watching you now im 1000+ tyy keep it up

[@strykah41]

Great instructive games! We know you also mean to say post-game analysis ;)

[@joshuamodiba853]

Lexy: releases another take wat yu can videos Me: makes insta clocking noises

[@timt8027]

In levys caro course he teaches me that in the exchange you want to trade your light squared bishop for whites light squared bishop so you shouldnt take the knight on f3. Is levy wrong or are both options playable?

[@AlexBanzea]

It’s not bad, but not always achievable especially when White plays Bb5 lines (which is all the time below 1500)

[@mdfgreat1]

I've always wondered some times you put A1 rook on b file and sometime son C file. Does it matter much. what makes you decide which is better?

[@user-kf4dn2fn5j]

Love the grocery store metaphor 😂

[@RingsLoreMaster]

"it's like moving away from your parents before you're 30. You don't have to do it but you can.". Crack me up! ❗❗

[@kaidoChess]

Road to 50k I see!

[@brandonbuckmaster3077]

Can you do a series like this with the French?? With the other variations and not just the fort Knox?

[@jasit]

15:07 i think that here black has Bh4 basically winning bishop by force. I can’t say how many times I’ve managed to do it in my games. This is really invisible move for lower rated players :)

[@shift.5137]

Do you mean Bh4 Qg4 f5?

[@Heyutana]

The double pawn, very vulnerable, pretty much like an upside down turtle 😅

[@user-wy9jt2ni8g]

At 14:24 what do you think about moving knight to h6 instead of backward?

[@ruslanbedoev9264]

hahaha locate the booze first anhaha a real Romanian hahahah I love your stories they make my day

[@joshm.6191]

In the second game, was it also reason able to play nh5 to attack the queen and stop mate?

[@akmenos728]

I love how you just have a wooden spoon on standby in that last game 😂

[@peterhavran4193]

Hi Alex, can’t work out how to do premove. Can you or anyone tell me. I’m playing on my phone. Thank you

[@aesthetic6837]

Hello alex when will the caro kann course be out ?

[@abdulghafarmukhbet4559]

Can you make a video about Dutch defense

[@davidel6469]

He can only meme about it

[@dylloz6735]

I'm Dutch and I don't even want to see that lol

[@davidel6469]

If u want Simon Williams (Ginger gm) has a lot about it

[@AndyJMacLeod]

Chess master, dating and life skills coach, and comedian 😂

[@marquesmcbride6614]

🔥🔥🔥 let’s gooo

[@FmFpF1992]

I tend to struggle in the caro when White castles long out of the exchange variation. I know its not considered objectively winning for white, but I haven't quite figured out how to stop it consistently, nonetheless.

[@yzfool6639]

When the enemy is making a mistake, you don't stop him.

[@RequiredAccountsSUX]

Does anyone else await with trepidation the moment where Alex inevitably says: "following game." 🙂

[@ThisIsTBChannel]

Do u take students? I wrote u on lichess 😄 when the caro course will be out?

[@irjake]

At 59:23 was premoving the queens to mate like that totally safe? It seems like if white could have positioned his king on c1 at the right point he could have gotten a stalemate. In this particular example, the dark square bishop and queen protecting the light diagonal keeps the king out, which I'm sure you noticed, but I doubt all of your viewers are aware of subtleties like that! When premoving ladder mates I prefer to do it with a rook and queen instead to avoid this risk.

[@kevinespina3289]

What black opening would you suggest for black against 1d4? (I have been liking the chameleon slav) (i need something to finish my repertoire of london + caro + ____?)

[@anonymousAJ]

Semi Slav is the most caro-like

[@kevinespina3289]

@@anonymousAJ I will try the semi slav

[@koolaid1445]

When does the chessable course drop.

[@atelier.lignum]

Hipped when I saw it’s 1 hour video 🎉

[@X_MoMo_]

Love this series, great video

[@OrionARS]

@22:00 if you took the pawn couldnt he just take your knight defending checkmate? You would have to go Nf5 and the bishop could retreat right?

[@OrionARS]

Ahh I see now that Nf5 defends and attacks the queen and DS bishop as well so you actually pick it back up. 👌👌 Really loving the vids man, I've gained 250 elo in the past month!

[@Balipersonaltrainer]

17:43 why you didn't take the free pawn on A4 with the queen instead of trading queen ?

[@manishyadav-st6dn]

what a god

[@LatteEsportsLeague]

question, but if you took the pawn wiht the knight, couldn't the opponent take your knight on e8 with his bishop, and putting you in a pretty dire situation as you have to move pawn on g7 at that point?

[@LatteEsportsLeague]

this is in game 2 and you discuss the line at 22:00

[@Balipersonaltrainer]

Can you show us how to deal with c4 ?

[@supastar5702]

14:33 KNIGHT E8‼️😂

[@arthurwieczorek4894]

36:12 That bishop sac on.h6, I bet you don't take it. You are interested in the queen side pawns.

[@nightmaresnightly]

15:20 for some reason people just forget the bishop is pinned and you can take it me: im people...

[@everybodyinternetstranger]

Does Alex play against his subscribers or random players?

[@tobymorgan2085]

29:36 - why could you not do check with your horse on f2 when his horse was on g3? Does it not lead to him losing either castle or the beautiful checkmate you showed? someone pls help me out:) P.S love your videos man

[@MajorAddiction]

He could but it was white's move at that time and white played H3 in the game 28:28

[@deansupreme1379]

Is there a reason why at Game 1 pawn b5 happened instantly without moving pawn a6, Just to slow with a6?

[@AlexBanzea]

A6 is played only to support b5, so just go for it if you can without that!

[@mariowario2280]

After alcohol them you look for food...😅😅 that's my guy!

[@grad83]

tare de tot faza d p final meci 3 pfffffffffff

[@Skadi4]

Ahh the alcohol area

[@vidakovic94]

I think you were right not to take the pawn on game 2…. Doesn’t taking the d4 pawn w the knight hang the other knight on e8? Because if you recapture the bishop with either R or Q you get mated by Qxg7#

[@vidakovic94]

@alexbanzea could you confirm if this is true or not? It’s been bothering me 😅

[@vidakovic94]

Uhhhh yeah 8 days later and I see he chased the bishop away so the queen would be hanging LOL

[@Kantragor]

taking a pawn there in a 2nd game would be a mistake. Then bishop takes knight and then mating game from the white

[@tomtoss2463]

Speaking of career, why did you retire from chess at 22?