Dortmund Round 6: Dead equal

Winning with the fantasy variation

The Fantasy Variation (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3) is a tricky try by White to steer the game into muddy waters right from the off and take Black away from the solid positions he is accustomed to in the main line variations of the Caro-Kann. Traditionally the opening never gained too much credibility amongst top players, since White's attempt to preserve his pawn centre at the cost of weakening his kingside was hardly seen as a major threat to the super-reliable Caro. However, thanks to a wave of news ideas and innovations first introduced at the 2010 European Individual Championships and many more thereafter, the variation has made a major comeback and can now be found in the repertoires of some of the world's best. In this 60 minute video, IM Lawrence Trent will discuss the 5 main variations Black has at his disposal but how with each one White has a number of ways to keep the position full of play and dynamic possibilities, leading to games which loyal Caro players will have difficulty dealing with.