Simon Says — A topical line in the Caro-Kann

by Simon Williams
5/20/2019 – In this Simon Says we look at pros and cons of this variation in the Caro-Kann: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.♘c3 (or ♘d2) dxe4 4.♘xe4 ♞f6 5.♘xf6 exf6! Watch live for free starting at the usual time: 16:00 UTC (18:00 CEST / 12 Noon EDT).

The Colle-Koltanowski system is very easy to learn, yet an extremely dangerous opening.

Week 21

The following is a simple line to play for Black with 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 (or d2) dxe4 4.xe4 f6 5.xf6 exf6!? was recently shown to me by GM David Howell. It is a very simple, easy to learn and fun way to play with Black. In this Simon Says we take a deeper look at the idea and see if it is worth playing.

To get started, in the following position, Black has damaged his pawn structure but also made his king safer for when he castles kingside.

 
Caro-Kann with 4...Nf6
Position after 5.exf6

What do you think about this position?


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Simon is live most Mondays at 16:00 UTC (18:00 CEST / 12 Noon EDT)


About Simon Says

In early 2015 Simon Williams launched his own show called "Simon says" after producing the first of his ChessBase video series. On a weekly basis (with breaks for tournaments and chess events) Simon entertains the chess world with attacking ideas, play strategies and witty manoeuvres on the chess board.

ChessBase Premium members have permanent access to the videos in the archive. Over 60 shows and counting have been published to date. Their lengths differ but most of them run for about 60 minutes.

Read more in Meeting Simon Williams.

Much more from Simon's shows in the archive at Videos.ChessBase.com

Recent Simon Says shows

Still more Simon

On another note, Simon recently published his newest DVD "The Torre Attack". 

Here's a teaser:


Opening with the Chigorin shows your intention to play for a win right from the outset. After 2...Nc6 Black's pieces fly into the game putting pressure on White's position from a very early stage. This opening is ideal for the type of player who strives for an unconvential yet attacking game right from the start.


Solution to the puzzle:
 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
Position not in LiveBook
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Bb6 8.0-0 d6 9.Nc3 Bd7 10.e5 dxe5 11.Re1 Nge7 12.Ng5 Be6 13.Bxe6 fxe6 14.Nxe6 Qd6 15.Nxg7+ Kf8 16.Qg4 Bxd4 17.Ne4 Qb4 18.Ne6+ Ke8 19.Nf6+ Kf7 20.Ng5+ Kf8 21.Ba3 Qxa3 22.Qe6 Nd8 23.Qf7+ Nxf7 24.Ne6# 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Hermann Karl Eduard Clemenz-Friedrich Eisenschmidt-1–01862C51Tartu

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Simon Williams became a IM in 1998 and a GM in 2008. For the last 15 years he has concentrated on teaching, playing and making instructional chess DVDs. He also has a lot of experience commentating about chess. Being the regular commentator at the strongest and best open tournament in the world, Gibraltar. Simon Williams is the author of numerous chess books. His first chess book. 'Play the Classical Dutch' got voted, in New in Chess, as one of the top 10 chess books of all time. His playing style is very aggressive, preferring attacking chess to positional grinds. No wonder he produced two widely acclaimed ChessBase DVDs on the King's Gambit. More information about Williams can be found on his website.

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