Caro-Kann question

I'm studying the Caro-Kann to play in response to 1.e4. I'm having trouble figuring out a move.

The main line is:

1.e4 c6, 2.d4 d5, 3.Nc3 xe4, 4.Nxe4 Bf5, 5.Nf3

At this point, why does white leave the unguarded knight on e4 and, since 5.Nf3, why is Bxe4 a bad idea?

5Nf3 is not even close to main-line, who told you that? The Knight usually retreats to g3

That variation is not Nf3, but Ng3 with the attacked knight.

The only reason engine in your analysis board gives + for white is because you've put that it is white to move.

I was using the chess.com opening book reference. I went through the Caro-Kann using the top moves. This is how the board ended up when I couldn't understand the situation. Hence, my post. Sorry guys. I'm not sure how it got there but that's where I got it.

:/

There is a good chance you clicked first moves but then misclicked on that move and got something that will just lose a piece.

As proof, I will quote this:

The most common way of handling the Caro–Kann, the Classical Variation (often referred to as the Capablanca Variation after Cuban grandmaster José Raúl Capablanca), is defined by the moves: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 (or 3.Nd2) dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5. This was long considered to represent best play for both sides in the Caro–Kann. White usually continues: 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3. Although White's pawn on h5 looks ready to attack, it can prove to be a weakness in an endgame.[2]

That is from Wikipedia.  As you can see, it states Ng3, not Nf3.

Click on the analysis option of the diagram you've just posted. You'll see that black just takes the knight and is completely winning.

The odd thing is that, if you take the knight, there are no games with that position. There are several where black didn't take. It seems like there must be some kind of long range tactic. 5.Nf3 shows the highest win-rate for white.

It is probably such a rare mistake that there are few games. There are no tactics, white just lose a piece. I mean you can see the engine evaluation for yourself. Just click on it on that diagram you've posted.

Ok, here is the proof:

And just for you to be sure:



It is over -3, so white doesn't have even some form of compensation. It just loses the piece.

5.Ng3 is the correct move there.

5.Nf3 is just a blunder.

If you're seeing games in a database where 5.Nf3 was played, you might want to check the minimum ratings. It's likely that you're seeing a move from low-rated players.

When I study databases to look at openings, for example, I keep the rating level restricted to 2500+ only. It's a good practice that I recommend.

N53 is second from the bottom and shows the highest percentage of white wins.

Odds are, I'll never face it but, if I do, I'll take the knight. For perspective, every game I've ever played is recorded in my book and I'm on page 13. I'm on the bottom rung of the ladder so don't expect too much from me. I'm trying to understand opening traps.

It is just a blunder. Who knows what these 3 games are.  It is probably played by low level players, or it was played in short time format, so who knows why white won those games.

There is a reason why it is played 3 times only out of 18 000 times you can find the position in a database. It is not even an opening trap. It is a gift, but you still have to convert 1 piece up advantage.

Yeah, I've looked at the games. It appears that the moves were recorded in the wrong order.

I'm assuming that when "Ng3" was written down, it looked like "Nf3" on the score sheet. Probably due to bad handwriting. So the moves were recorded wrong in the database.

This is the most common line (called the "Classical/Spassky/Sierawan Variation"):

JonathanBlake10842 on that line that says 5. Nf3 the next number is a 3, then the 67%, 32% line.  The 3 means that the move was played 3 times, so in 2 of these games white won.  This sample size is obviously meaningless considering the first and most popular move has been played in 17 thousand something games.  

Thanks. KnightChecked. Of course, now I'm wondering why not 7.h5. It looks like a free bishop to me. I've got a long way to go on this Caro-Kann understanding. EDIT: Nevermind. 6..h6 gave the Bishop h7 to escape. There's a reason that I post in the beginner's forum.

Yeah, the Caro-Kann can seem quite tricky, when you're learning it. If you stick with it, though, things will begin to make sense, more and more.

Books can help, also. "Starting Out: The Caro-Kann" does a good job of explaining much of the fundamentals of the opening.