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Destroy the Caro Kann with style

The line 4...Nd7 is out of fashion in favor of 4...Nf6 or 4...Bf5 and 6...h6 is a mistake.

The line 4...Nd7 is out of fashion in favor of 4...Nf6 or 4...Bf5 and 6...h6 is a mistake.

@tpr 4... Nd7 is still played 10% of the time. For Nf6 you've got the Alien Gambit, which I mentioned won't be covered in the post. For Bf5, in certain conditions you get the Martian Gambit, also from Witty Alien, which also has as a main feature saccing the knight with Ne6.

I agree the Nd7 move is at the root of the problem for Oll, but even StockFish sees the move as 16 centipawns worse than the other two moves.

The point of the blog was to explore why saccing the knight was good, even if it doesn't lead to an immediate win.

@tpr 4... Nd7 is still played 10% of the time. For Nf6 you've got the Alien Gambit, which I mentioned won't be covered in the post. For Bf5, in certain conditions you get the Martian Gambit, also from Witty Alien, which also has as a main feature saccing the knight with Ne6. I agree the Nd7 move is at the root of the problem for Oll, but even StockFish sees the move as 16 centipawns worse than the other two moves. The point of the blog was to explore why saccing the knight was good, even if it doesn't lead to an immediate win.

Well... there is a way to get similar positions much more often, it goes like this: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 (~67% at my level) 4.h4 — the Tal variation! 4... h5 (~70%) 5. Bg5!? playing against e6 5... Qb6 (~85%) 6.Bd3 Bxd3 (~75%) 7.Qxd3 Qxb2? (~32%, mistake) 8.e6!

And what I really love about this 5. Bg5 line (other than it wins a lot) is it's very straightforward to play if black does anything else Nbd2–Ngf3–O-O–c4. You meet c5 with c4, but lets back to that rook sac line, when black takes the rook your next moves are Qb3 trapping the queen and attacking b7, Nf3 protecting d4, O-O–Nbd2 winning the queen, then Qd3–Qg6, Ne5, Bf4–Ng5 and you just win

and if black 'knows' what they are doing you might get 6... Qxd4!! which is still a lot of fun 7.Nf3 Qg4 8.Bxf5 Qxf5 9.O-O with c4 on the next move, even after 9... f6 10. c4!! fxg5 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.Nc3 with Qb3–Rac1–Rfd1 and Nb5 on the way.

again, if black does (almost) anything else Nbd2–Ngf3–O-O–c4. remember to meet c5 with c4 right away

Well... there is a way to get similar positions much more often, it goes like this: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 (~67% at my level) 4.h4 — the Tal variation! 4... h5 (~70%) 5. Bg5!? playing against e6 5... Qb6 (~85%) 6.Bd3 Bxd3 (~75%) 7.Qxd3 Qxb2? (~32%, mistake) 8.e6! And what I really love about this 5. Bg5 line (other than it wins a lot) is it's very straightforward to play if black does anything else Nbd2–Ngf3–O-O–c4. You meet c5 with c4, but lets back to that rook sac line, when black takes the rook your next moves are Qb3 trapping the queen and attacking b7, Nf3 protecting d4, O-O–Nbd2 winning the queen, then Qd3–Qg6, Ne5, Bf4–Ng5 and you just win and if black 'knows' what they are doing you might get 6... Qxd4!! which is still a lot of fun 7.Nf3 Qg4 8.Bxf5 Qxf5 9.O-O with c4 on the next move, even after 9... f6 10. c4!! fxg5 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.Nc3 with Qb3–Rac1–Rfd1 and Nb5 on the way. again, if black does (almost) anything else Nbd2–Ngf3–O-O–c4. remember to meet c5 with c4 right away

@CkickyCheck I tried to put your lines in analysis and I got some of the stuff you're saying, but you're also contradicting the moves. Maybe a study?

@CkickyCheck I tried to put your lines in analysis and I got some of the stuff you're saying, but you're also contradicting the moves. Maybe a study?

@TotalNoob69 said in #6:

@CkickyCheck I tried to put your lines in analysis and I got some of the stuff you're saying, but you're also contradicting the moves. Maybe a study?
https://lichess.org/study/zyykyTTW/3w88p8ww#0
a fast showcase i guess

@TotalNoob69 said in #6: > @CkickyCheck I tried to put your lines in analysis and I got some of the stuff you're saying, but you're also contradicting the moves. Maybe a study? https://lichess.org/study/zyykyTTW/3w88p8ww#0 a fast showcase i guess

and a quick disclaimer, its not all sunshines and rainbows... i mean youll get winning positions like 80% of the time, i remember when i started playing this in my first 8 games i had a winning position, then i lost count, but you wont convert them all. but who wouldnt like a +2/+3 on move 8

lichess.org/IbkIgXLc/white

and a quick disclaimer, its not all sunshines and rainbows... i mean youll get winning positions like 80% of the time, i remember when i started playing this in my first 8 games i had a winning position, then i lost count, but you wont convert them all. but who wouldnt like a +2/+3 on move 8 lichess.org/IbkIgXLc/white

Yes I see that this is a very sharp variation as @CkickyCheck said u sac to get a future advantage even though the computer says its ok but definitely not trying in an OTB tmt :)

Yes I see that this is a very sharp variation as @CkickyCheck said u sac to get a future advantage even though the computer says its ok but definitely not trying in an OTB tmt :)