[Event "Caro Kann Defense: The Advance Variation: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5: Caro Kann Defense: The Advance Variation: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/Pwzr5kg2/l68Vnsv2"] [Result "*"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/flohahn22"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "B12"] [Opening "Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation, Botvinnik-Carls Defense"] [UTCDate "2021.03.30"] [UTCTime "17:20:14"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/peJu7LdE/VHvIdpm4"] [Orientation "black"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 { This move characterizes the Advance Variation of the Caro Kann Defense. It's probably the line which offers the most scope for improvement for both sides over the next years as it's also the most complicated line. } 3... c5!? { Black immediately wants to challenge the White center as he does in the French Defense. Yet, the Black light-squared bishop is still free to move outside the pawn chain. The downside of this variation is that Black lost a tempo on playing ...c7-c6 first and only then ...c6-c5. } (3... Bf5 { This is the main move for Black. However, it is highly theoretical and White can decide the nature of the game. He can play very aggressively with an early g2-g4 or more positionally with Nf3 and Be2. } 4. Nf3 (4. h4 h5 (4... h6 5. g4 { [%csl Rf5][%cal Gg4f5] } 5... Bd7 6. Nd2 c5 7. dxc5 e6 8. Nb3 Bxc5 9. Nxc5 Qa5+ 10. c3 Qxc5 11. Nf3 Ne7 12. Bd3 Nbc6 13. Be3 Qa5 14. Qd2 Ng6 15. Bd4 Nxd4 16. cxd4 Qxd2+ 17. Kxd2 Nf4 18. Rac1 h5 19. Rhg1 Bc6 20. gxh5 Nxh5 21. b4 a6 22. a4 Kd8 23. Ng5 Be8 24. b5 Nf4 25. b6 Nxd3 26. Kxd3 Rc8 27. Rxc8+ Kxc8 28. Rc1+ Bc6 29. Nxf7 Rxh4 30. Nd6+ Kd8 31. Rg1 Rh3+ 32. Ke2 Ra3 33. Rxg7 Rxa4 34. f4 Ra2+ 35. Kf3 Ra3+ 36. Kg4 Rd3 37. f5 Rxd4+ 38. Kg5 exf5 39. Kf6 Rg4 40. Rc7 Rh4 41. Nf7+ { Kramnik, Vladimir - Leko, Peter, 1-0, World Championship, 2004, https://lichess.org/911Odw61 }) 5. Bd3 Bxd3 6. Qxd3 e6 7. Bg5 Be7 8. Nf3 Nh6 9. Nc3 Nf5 10. Ne2 c5 11. dxc5 Qa5+ 12. c3 Qxc5 13. Bxe7 Kxe7 14. Ned4 Nxd4 15. Nxd4 Nc6 16. O-O Nxe5 17. Qe3 Nd7 18. Rfe1 Kf8 19. Rad1 Rh6 20. Rd3 Kg8 21. Qd2 Rg6 22. Nf3 Rg4 23. Nh2 Rxh4 24. Qg5 Re4 25. Ree3 Nf6 26. b4 Qb6 27. Rg3 Re1+ 28. Nf1 Ng4 29. Rde3 Ra1 30. Re2 Qa6 31. Qd2 Rc8 32. Qb2 Rb1 { Adams, Mi - Svidler, P., 0-1, Du Te Cup 2017, https://lichess.org/8cyVQL3h }) 4... e6 5. Be2 Bb4+ (5... Ne7 6. Nbd2 h6 7. O-O Nd7 8. Nb3 g5 9. Ne1 Qc7 10. Bh5 c5 11. c3 Bg7 12. f4 c4 13. Nd2 gxf4 14. Ndf3 Ng6 15. Bxg6 fxg6 16. Nh4 O-O 17. Rxf4 g5 18. Nxf5 gxf4 19. Nxg7 Kxg7 20. Qg4+ Kh7 21. Qxe6 Nb6 22. Qh3 Qf7 23. g3 Qg6 24. Ng2 fxg3 25. hxg3 Rf3 26. Bf4 Rf8 27. Qh4 Nc8 28. Re1 Qe6 29. Qh5 Rd3 30. Be3 Ne7 31. Nf4 Qg8 32. Nxd3 Qxg3+ 33. Kh1 Nf5 34. Bf4 Qxd3 35. e6 Ng7 36. Qxh6+ Kg8 37. Kg2 Qc2+ 38. Kg1 Qf5 39. e7 Qg4+ 40. Kh1 Qf3+ { Anand, V. - Giri, A., 1/2-1/2, Vugar Gashimov Mem 2015, https://lichess.org/fbEasWzl }) 6. c3 Ba5 7. O-O Nd7 8. a4 Bc7 9. Nbd2 f6 10. Re1 Nh6 11. Nf1 fxe5 12. dxe5 O-O 13. Bxh6 gxh6 14. Qd4 Be4 15. Ng3 c5 16. Qe3 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Qg5 18. Qxg5+ hxg5 19. Bg4 Rae8 20. Re2 Nxe5 21. Bh5 Rd8 22. Rd1 c4 23. Nf1 Nd3 { Giri, A. - Carlsen, M., 0-1, GCT Rapid YourNextMove, 2016, https://lichess.org/tPeuj1h3 }) 4. dxc5 { This is the most challenging move for Black. } 4... e6 { Black tries to regain the pawn immediately. } { [%csl Rc5][%cal Gf8c5] } (4... Nc6 { This is the main move for Black and is also worth studying. In this article, however, we take a closer look at 4...e6. } 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. c3 e6 7. b4 a6 8. Nbd2 Nxe5 9. Qa4+ Nd7 10. Ne5 Nf6 11. c4 a5 12. Nb3 axb4 13. Qb5 Be7 14. c6 bxc6 15. Nxc6 Qc7 16. f3 Bf5 17. Nxe7 Rb8 18. Nxf5 Rxb5 19. Nxg7+ Ke7 20. cxb5 Nc5 21. Bb2 Nxb3 22. axb3 Qf4 23. Be2 Rc8 24. Rd1 Qg5 25. b6 Rc2 26. Bxf6+ Qxf6 27. Nh5 Qc3+ 28. Kf1 Qe3 29. Re1 Qxb6 30. Nf4 Qe3 31. g3 Qxb3 32. Kg2 Kf8 33. Kh3 Qb2 34. Rb1 Qf6 35. Rhe1 e5 36. Nxd5 Qe6+ 37. Kg2 Qxd5 38. Rxb4 Qd2 39. Rb8+ Kg7 40. Kf1 Qh6 41. Kg2 e4 42. Rb3 Qe6 43. Re3 exf3+ 44. Kxf3 Qh3 45. Rd1 Qh5+ 46. Kf2 Qxh2+ 47. Kf3 Rc6 48. Rd4 Rg6 49. g4 Rf6+ 50. Ke4 Qh1+ 51. Kd3 Qb1+ 52. Kd2 Qb2+ 53. Kd3 Rc6 { Topalov, V. - Nakamura, Hi, 0-1, 8th London Classic 2016, https://lichess.org/sigff6F1 }) 5. Be3 (5. a3 Bxc5 6. b4 Bb6 7. Nf3 Ne7 8. Bd3 a5 9. Bb2 axb4 10. axb4 Rxa1 11. Bxa1 Na6 12. Bc3 Nc7 13. O-O Bd7 14. Bd4 Bxd4 15. Nxd4 Nc6 16. Nxc6 Bxc6 17. Nd2 O-O 18. Nf3 Qe7 19. c3 Nb5 20. Bxb5 Bxb5 21. Re1 Ra8 22. Nd4 Bc4 23. Qg4 g6 24. h4 Bd3 25. Re3 h5 26. Qf4 Be4 27. Nb5 Bf5 28. Nd6 Ra1+ 29. Kh2 Bg4 30. Qg5 Qxg5 31. hxg5 b6 32. c4 dxc4 33. Nxc4 Ra2 34. f3 Bf5 35. Rc3 h4 36. Nd6 h3 37. Nxf5 gxf5 38. Kxh3 Rb2 39. Rc4 b5 40. Rd4 Kg7 41. f4 Kg6 42. g3 Rc2 43. Rd3 Rb2 44. Rd4 Rb3 45. Kg2 Kh5 46. Kh3 Rb1 47. Rd8 Kg6 48. Rg8+ Kh7 49. Rb8 Rxb4 50. Kg2 Rb2+ 51. Kf3 b4 52. Ke3 Kg6 53. Kf3 Rb3+ 54. Kg2 Rb1 55. Rg8+ Kh7 56. Rb8 Kg7 57. Kf2 b3 58. Kg2 Rb2+ 59. Kf3 Kg6 60. Rg8+ Kh7 61. Rb8 Kg7 62. Ke3 Rb1 63. Kf3 b2 64. Kg2 Kg6 65. Rg8+ Kh7 66. Rb8 Kg7 67. Kh2 Kg6 68. Kg2 Kg7 { Kollars, Dmitrij - Landa, K., 1/2-1/2, Bundesliga 2017-18, https://lichess.org/EiORRGs8 }) 5... Nh6! { The knight comes to f5 from where it puts pressure on White. } 6. Nf3 Nf5 7. Bg5 Qc7 8. Bd3 h6 9. Bc1 Bxc5 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Bxf5 exf5 12. Nxd5 Qd8 13. b4 Be6 14. c4 Bxd5 15. cxd5 Bxb4+ 16. Kf1 Bc3 17. Rb1 Nd7 18. Bb2 Bxb2 19. Rxb2 Re8 20. Re2 Qc7 21. Qd4 Qc1+ 22. Re1 Qa3 23. h4 Qxa2 24. g3 Rac8 25. Kg2 Qc4 26. e6 fxe6 27. dxe6 Nf8 28. e7 Ng6 29. Qxa7 Rxe7 30. h5 Rxe1 31. Rxe1 Nf8 32. Qxb7 Rc7 33. Qb1 Qf7 34. Re5 Qxh5 35. Rxf5 Qe8 36. Qb3+ Kh7 37. Qd3 g6 38. Rf6 Rf7 39. Qe3 Qd7 40. Rxf7+ Qxf7 41. Ne5 Qe7 42. Qe4 Kg7 43. Qd4 Ne6 44. Qd3 Nf8 45. Qc3 Kh7 46. Ng4 Qe4+ 47. f3 Qe2+ 48. Kg1 Nd7 49. Qc1 g5 50. Qb1+ Kg7 51. Qf5 { Vallejo Pons, Francisco - Khenkin, Igor, 1/2-1/2, ESP-chT CECLUB Div1 GpB, 2012, https://lichess.org/SjmbJPuC } *