The pawn structure in the diagram above is very familiar in chess practice. It can arise from openings like Slav and Semi Slav, Alekhine, Scandinavian, French and of course Caro Kann, the latter being the most common source of appearance. The special thing about such structure is that although white has more space, black is rock solid and his plans are very clear. Such a scenario always produces tense positional battles where both players need to understand the demands of the position and know well what the typical plans to follow are.

In this article, we want to shed some light on how to play these type of positions with black, what goals to aim for and what dangers he needs to be aware.

The following is a list of positional concepts that you must know:

1. The exchange of pieces– Favors black. The position with TWO minor pieces each is already considered a success for black
2. The trade of the dark-squared color bishops also favors black. The absence of this piece is of significant relevance since it is often the main defender of d4 pawn.
3. The main goal is to target the d4 pawn. Black often doubles the rooks on the D file and brings his queen to b6 in order to exert big pressure against white’s center.
4. An important idea seldom seen is the advance b7-b5. With this pawn thrust, black seeks to weaken the white pawn on c4; if white plays c5 then black obtains the d5 square for a knight and the white pawn on d4 is a permanent backward pawn.
5. The advance with c6-c5 is NOT ALWAYS an equalizer. Although it brings some freedom for the black pieces, the structure arising after dxc5 or cxd4 gives white a queenside majority in the endgame. So before advancing c5, it is best to make sure that there are dynamic factors such as piece activity to keep the balance.
6. Keep an eye on the d4-d5 break. This is difficult to achieve for white but when he manages to play it, it usually has a devastating effect on black’s position.

It is time now to see some basic examples of how to develop the above-mentioned plans in the game.

The first game we selected is Kostic versus Capablanca, New York 1916. The game started with a Slav Defense, a variation that is popular nowadays too. In the notes to the game, you will see the key points Capablanca used to obtain an easy game.

The main element in this game is the simplification of pieces.

Caro-Kann Game 1:

Our second selection is a classic of a much modern era, Boris Spassky against Anatoly Karpov, a famous game in which Karpov slowly outplayed his opponent with some classy maneuvering. In this game, we can learn about how to put pressure on the d4 pawn and what pieces to trade. The game is considered a positional masterpiece. See the details here:

Caro-Kann Game 2:

Our third and final selected game also has Karpov as a protagonist, but now on the white side. With the black pieces is the famous Danish Champion Bent Larsen, one of the greatest players of all times. Larsen played some good chess in his prime. In this game we can learn more about the struggle for the d5 square and the strong counterplay black can create from a more restricted position. In this type of positions, it is easy for white to overextend, which black can take advantage of. See all the details below:

Caro-Kann Game 3:

We hope you enjoyed this article and learn more about an important structure such as the Caro Kann structure. Thank you for reading an