Sorry, I meanty previous posts.
Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation.
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meant.
Now that you mention it, it does seem roughly like how a Scandinavian defense would be if played out positionally on both sides with solidity in mind. It's also good and interesting to know that the Caro-kann can transpose into a Scandinavian. Thanks.
Take with the pawn! Better to occupy the center, clear space on c6 for your knight if you want, and avoid having your queen kicked around.
I play a lot of Caro-Kann and the exchange variation is problably the easiest situation to be in.
joeooooo, there's a few questions I have for that answer, though. What would happen to the Queen-side in turn? In the very next move, the King's Bishop could slide on over to b5 and pin either the Knight or the rather highly valued (If I'm not mistaken) Queen's Bishop to the King. If it takes the Knight, which is usually the piece moved immediately after the exchange, the b-file is left almost completely open. In my opinion, it's an awkward and tricky position to be in for the first few moves of the game. Have you come across it before? if so, how have you dealt with it in your experiences in the Caro-Kann?
It's ok (good actually) to exchange the queen's bishop if he/she does come in with Bb5. The plan is really to develop naturally on the kingside, get castled, and then deal with the queenside.
My main piece of advice is just to keep things solid, and don't abandon defenses on the kingside!
So then it's better to exchange the Queen's Bishop than it is to exchange the Queen's Knight, like I would usually think it is. Also, keeping a solid defense is actually what I tried to do the entire game, but I may well try it via the pawn when I use the Caro-Kann again. And I'll see if I can defend the King-side better as well. Thanks joeooooo.
Black's light square B is often trapped, just like with the French. If you can get it to g4 early pinning white's N to the Q, then keep the pin on until you have to trade, then that's the best. It prevents the N or the Q from getting too frisky early on. Sometimes white castles Qside and you can occasionally get a nice pin on something when you switch the light sq B to the b2-h7 diagonal, but gotta watch the light square B doesn't get trapped if the white Q lays an uncontested (you've moved the e pawn to e6, blocking the return to d7 of the B to block) check from a4 and has a clear line to snap off your B on g4.
For the pawn retake on d5, you are best to take with the pawn, then you get a nice half open c file to get your rook to and the Q doesn't become a target.
His N sac 16.Nxc6 is a bad blunder unless he was already castled and had both Rs in the center, there wasn't any real continuation he would have on you with this sac.
Your long combination starting with 20...Bxg2 then 21...a5 ending at 26...Rxg1 was basically unsound, it would have evened things up except he moved the f pawn letting your Q have great bead on his R at g2, ah, lets say you planned it all along. 
Estragon, I take it Qxd5 is more risky because I risk the Queen becoming inactive and being kicked around by the opposing pieces. Or is there more to it?
...Qxd5 here is incorrect because Black is already committed to ..c6. White ought to play with Nf3,Be2,O-O, and c2-c4, rather than stick his N out onto c3 right away like he normally does. In this way White gains a tempo on the Q and sets up a broad pawn center, something White doesn't normally get in the Scandinavian mainlines because his c-pawn is blocked.
Normally Black's best response to this plan is an aggressive setup involving ..Nc6,..Bg4, and ..O-O-O - but Black has already disclosed he is going to play a Caro structure.
Bunny_Slippers_, I am aware that my combination was unsound, but I ultimately tried to ready myself for whatever White had in store for me. It just turned out that they in all likelihood unintentionally offered me something more than a solid and equal game.I simply took them up on it. Either way, I DID try to keep ahead in material at least.
pfren, please elaborate on why Qxd5 is such a"stupid" move.
Jun 8, 2014
0
#14
it might sound hard, but Pfren is completly right. By the way I checked this line last time with my Youth GM Trainer
I diagree with 3... Qxd5. I always take it with the pawn. He can come in with Nc3, you have to withdraw and he wins a tempo. He did have hte upper hand in the opening, he was too passive, that is why the ir turned around...
I will not argue nor act condescending as that is not the purpose of these discussions. But there is one question I feel has been left unanswered: How did both players fare in this game?
Houdini 4 analysis
{Game analysis^13 ^10 Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) II X2 255 Processor
(@3.10GHz)^13 ^10 Engine(s): Houdini 4 IDeA^13 ^10 Analysis time: 0:10:09} 1.
e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 mistake(3... cxd5
4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bd3 {...0-1, Yemelin Vasily
2523 - Ivanchuk Vassily 2729 , Tallinn 1/ 7/2006 Memorial P.Keres (active)})
4. Nf3 Bf5 5. Nc3 Qa5 6. Bc4 e6 7. Bd2 Bb4 8. a3 Bxc3 {?!}mistake (8...
Be7 {!?} 9. Nd5 Qd8 10. Nxe7 Nxe7 11. O-O O-O 12. Bf4 Nd7 13. Re1 Nf6 14. h3
{+0.48}) 9. Bxc3 Qc7 10. Ne5 {?}error (10. d5 {!} 10... cxd5 11. Bxg7
Qxc4 12. Bxh8 Bxc2 13. Ne5 Qe4+ 14. Qe2 Ne7 15. Qxe4 Bxe4 {+1.08}) 10... Nf6
11. h3 mistake (11. g4 Bg6 12. Qe2 Nbd7 13. O-O-O Nxe5 14. dxe5 Nd5 15.
Bd4 O-O 16. Bc5 Rfd8 {+0.27}) 11... h6 mistake (11... Nbd7 12. Nxd7 Qxd7
13. O-O O-O 14. Re1 Rad8 15. Be2 Rfe8 16. Bf3 h6 {+0.00}) 12. Ng4 {?!}mistake (12. O-O {!?} 12... Nbd7 13. Bd3 O-O 14. Re1 Bxd3 15. Nxd3 Rfd8 16.
Qf3 a5 17. Bd2 Qd6 {+0.17}) 12... Nbd7 13. Qf3 {[%t Val] } (13. Ne3 Be4 14.
Qd2 Nb6 15. Bd3 {-0.23}) 13... Be4 {?!}{mistake} (13... Bxc2 {!?} 14. Qe2
Be4 15. O-O O-O 16. Ne5 Bh7 17. Bd3 Bxd3 18. Nxd3 Rfd8 19. Rac1 {-0.66}) 14.
Qe2 O-O-O {[%t Val] ;} (14... Bxg2 15. Rg1 Bd5 16. Nxf6+ Nxf6 17. Bd3 g6 18.
Bd2 b5 19. O-O-O a5 20. Kb1 {+0.00}) 15. Ne5 Rhf8 16. Nxc6 {??}huge blunder
(16. O-O {!} 16... Nb6 17. Bd3 Bxd3 18. Qxd3 Nbd7 19. Nc4 Kb8 20. Rad1 b6 21.
Rfe1 g5 {+0.38}) 16... Qxc6 {[%t Val] ^11 } 17. Bb5 Qb6 18. Bb4 Rg8 19. O-O-O
{?!}{[%t Val] ^07 } (19. O-O {!?} 19... Bc6 20. Bxc6 Qxc6 21. c4 Kb8 {-1.82})
19... a6 20. Bd3 Bxg2 21. Rhg1 a5 {[%t Val] ^10 } 22. Be7 {[%t Val] ^09 }
22... Rde8 23. Bxf6 gxf6 24. d5 Rd8 25. f3 Bxf3 26. Qxf3 Rxg1 27. Be2 Ne5 28.
Qc3+ Kb8 29. b4 Rxd5 30. Rxg1 Qxg1+ 31. Kb2 a4 32. Ka2 b5 33. Bh5 Nc4 34. Qxf6
Nd2 35. Kb2 Qb1+ 36. Kc3 Ne4# 0-1
Shadowking2012 wrote:
Bunny_Slippers_, I am aware that my combination was unsound, but I ultimately tried to ready myself for whatever White had in store for me. It just turned out that they in all likelihood unintentionally offered me something more than a solid and equal game.I simply took them up on it. Either way, I DID try to keep ahead in material at least.
Pretty exciting game really, lots of threats and some (seemingly) hanging pieces to have to keep track of!
This latest online game I played opened with the Caro-Kann Exchange Variation. I was on the Black side and my opponent was on the White side, and I won this time. As with my previous videos, I would like to know how both sides fared and how the game in general could have been better. However, I'm also curious to know which is generally better in the Exchange Variation; taking with the Queen or with the Pawn; or not taking at all, and why?