Best book or guide for Caro-Kann games for White?

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KevinOSh

I have a book on the Caro-Kann but it is written from the perspective of how to win for Black.

What is the best book or other resource for defeating the Caro-Kann defense? I am looking for something that covers all of the different variations.

ItsBenjaminTheChessMan

I believe there is a Grandmaster Repertoire book that covers the Caro and French for White.

Propeshka

You don't necessarily need another book from the White's perspective. Just take the book you have, set up a board, choose a line and play through it so you get a first feeling for the arising positions. After that, play some games online against real players. Then you analyze them (first in your own, then with an engine) and check with your book where your opponents left theory. You might need a database (either this site or Lichess have good ones). One more advice: don't pay too much attention to openings. When you get playable positions, the real game starts. Just make sure you know enough to not get crushed in five moves.

Jim1

Two books I have that cover lines from White's perspective are 1. e4 vs. The French, Caro-Kann, & Philidor by Negi and Playing 1. e4 Caro-Kann, 1...e5 & Minor Lines by John Shaw. Negi recommends heading for Classical lines using 3. Nd2 while Shaw recommends the Advance 3. e5.

RussBell

Any White opening repertoire book for 1.e4 will include a repertoire for White against the Caro-Kann.  For example...

My First Chess Opening Repertoire for White By Vincent Moret

Attacking With 1 e4 by John Emms

Keep it Simple: 1.e4 by Christof Sielecki

Kaufman's New Repertoire for Black and White by Larry Kaufmann

Grandmaster Repertoire: 1.e4 vs The French, Caro-Kann and Philidor
by Parimarjan Negi

Starting Out 1 e4 by Neil McDonald

A Startling Chess Opening Repertoire: New Edition by Chris Baker & Graham Burgess

Chess Openings for White, Explained by Lev Alburt & Roman Dzindzichashvili

That said, any book specifically on the Caro-Kann will feature White's best and other likely replies to it, for example (and a repertoire which I personally like) Win With The Caro-Kann by Sverre Johnsen & Torbjorn Ringdal Hansen.

see also...

Good Chess Openings Books For Beginners and Beyond

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-openings-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

Quasimorphy

Given your rating, Starting Out: The Caro Kann by Gallagher might be your best choice.  It's fairly old, but it covers the main variations and will focus more on ideas than some of the other books.  I've seen complaints from people (who bought it wanting a book for Black) saying it's more for White.

 

A couple of good higher level books focusing on specific variations for White are:

Attacking the Caro Kann by Dreev (Advance Variation)

The Extreme Caro Kann by Bezgodov (Fantasy Variation)

 

RussBell is correct that any e4 repertoire book will have something to counter the Caro Kann.   A Simple Chess Opening Repertoire for White by Collins is another. That book uses 2. c4 against the Caro Kann which can lead to Panov-ish positions. The Emms book suggested by RussBell also uses 2.c4.  The McDonald Starting Out book suggested by RussBell uses the Panov.

There's also The Panov Botvinnik Attack Move by Move by D'Costa which would probably be useful if you decide to go for that variation (that book includes 2.c4, as well.) It's written mainly for White but has a lot of discussion of White and Black's ideas.

 

KevinOSh

I have learned quite a bit about the Caro-Kann from Chess Factor and Hanging Pawns, and also there is a series called The Complete Caro by Sam Shankland on the chess.com lessons 

I wrote up a lot of stuff on this thread a few months ago: https://www.chess.com/forum/view/game-analysis/caro-kann-1-e4-c6-in-chess-openings

I had actually forgotten that I had that Tim Sawyer Caro-Kann book, it has been many months since I read it. I should have another look through the games in that book.

There was a daily game I played recently where I followed the opening explorer and got a Panov position that is theoretically better for White, but I had no idea how to play it. I was up a pawn but had double isolated pawns. Really tough position to play, and of course that is when the blunders started happening.

So yes I agree, it is not so much about trying to memorize all of the moves but getting a better understanding of what sort of middlegame positions are likely to result from the various openings and knowing what the important ideas are for both sides.

I found this video really useful for learning the Caro-Kann, Classical, Spassky variation:

So I want to learn the kinds of ideas taught in this lesson and how they apply to other variations of the Caro-Kann.

 

 

RussBell

The best (IMO) book (or book series) for understanding the openings is John Watson's tour de force, 4-volume tetralogy, Mastering The Chess Openings.  It provides a detailed, comprehensive and exceptionally well-written treatment of opening theory, principles, plans and themes for most of the major openings.  The first 86 pages of Volume 1 is probably the best (again, IMO) treatment of general opening theory in print, and, coincidently, Chapter 12 of the text is specifically devoted to the Caro-Kann...

http://www.gambitbooks.com/books/Mastering_the_Chess_Openings_volume_1.html

this excerpt from Volume 1 shows its table of contents...

http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Mastering_the_Chess_Openings_volume_1.pdf

The next best book (a single-volume openings reference) may be FCO: Fundamental Chess Openings by Paul van der Sterren...

http://www.gambitbooks.com/books/FCO_Fundamental_Chess_Openings.html

http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/FCO_Fundamental_Chess_Openings.pdf