The Fashionable Caro-Kann Vol.1 and 2
The Caro Kann is a very tricky opening. Black’s play is based on controlling and fighting for key light squares. It is a line which was very fashionable in late 90s and early 2000s due to the successes of greats like Karpov, Anand, Dreev etc. Recently due to strong engines lot of key developments have been made and some new lines have been introduced, while others have been refuted altogether. I have analyzed the new trends carefully and found some new ideas for Black.
The online-friendly nature of chess played its part perfectly as Chessbase India organised a one-day event that helped raise Rs. 239,742 towards PM-CARES fund. Titled, “Let’s Fight Corona Together”, this online blitz chess event attracted 180 players including 17 GMs, with India No. 2 Vidit Gujrathi being the top seed.
For the record, Kerala’s rising star Nihal Sarin won the title, ahead of Aravindh Chithambaram and Vidit. The trio tallied eight points each from nine rounds but Nihal was adjudged champion on superior tie-break score. There was no entry fee, but each participant was expected to donate a minimum of Rs. 100 and a maximum of whatever he/she was comfortable with.
Interestingly, Vidit also did live streaming of his games that raised Rs. 37,028 in two hours. Out of this, a donation of Rs. 25,000 came from a generous Coimbatore-based chess lover, C. Vinith. Among players, notable was the contribution of 16-year-old GM Arjun Erigasi who gave Rs. 25,000 a day before the event. Nihal, the eventual champion, who was a last-minute entry, pitched in with Rs 7,500. GMs Magesh Chandran, Arun Prasad, M.S. Thej Kumar, N. Srinath and Ankit Rajpara contributed Rs 5,000 each. GM R.R. Laxman not only chipped in with Rs 4,500, but also encouraged many to play the event. GM Diptayan Ghosh donated Rs 3,000.
