The pawn
structure in the above image is very familiar in chess practice. It can arise
from openings like Slav and Semi Slav, Alekhine, Scandinavian, French and of
course Caro Kann, the latter being the most common source of appearance. The
special thing about such structure is that although white has more space, black
is rock solid and his plans are very clear. Such a scenario always produces
tense positional battles where both players need to understand the demands of
the position and know well what the typical plans to follow are.
In this
article, we want to shed some light on how to play these type of positions with
black, what goals to aim for and what dangers he needs to be aware.
The following is a list of positional concepts that you must
know:
1. The exchange of pieces–
Favors black. The position
with TWO minor pieces each is already considered a success for black
2. The trade of the
dark-squared color bishops also favors black. The absence of this piece is of significant relevance
since it is often the main defender of d4 pawn.
3. The main goal is to target
the d4 pawn. Black often
doubles the rooks on the D file and brings his queen to b6 in order to exert
big pressure against white’s center.
4. An important idea seldom
seen is the advance b7-b5. With this pawn thrust, black seeks to weaken the white pawn
on c4; if white plays c5 then black obtains the d5 square for a knight and the
white pawn on d4 is a permanent backward pawn.
5. The advance with c6-c5 is
NOT ALWAYS an equalizer. Although it brings some freedom for the black pieces, the
structure arising after dxc5 or cxd4 gives white a queenside majority in the
endgame. So before advancing c5, it is best to make sure that there are dynamic
factors such as piece activity to keep the balance.
6. Keep an eye on the d4-d5
break. This is
difficult to achieve for white but when he manages to play it, it usually has a
devastating effect on black’s position.
So this was
all the basic about Caro Kann you need to know. Let us know in the comment
section down below if we have left out anything important!