Caro-Kann Formation

The Caro-Kann formation often appears in the Caro-Kann Defence, the Scandinavian, and the Queen's Gambit Declined (though with the white pawn already on c4) after White plays e3- e4 and Black captures with ... d5xe4. This pawn trade has two major consequences: (1) White gains better control of the centre. (2) White has more space by having the d-pawn on the fourth rank. This structure gives better chances to White in most cases, as Black's pieces are constrained. For this reason, Black's main task is to dispute White's central control by modifying the structure. Now let's discuss specific plans.

White's plans :

The control of the centre opens up multiple opportunities for White everywhere on the board, such as:

1. Creating a direct kingside attack. This is often accompanied by placing a knight on the e5 outpost, or targeting the weak h7-pawn with the queen and a bishop from d3.

2. Gaining space with c3-c4, h2-h4 and harmoniously placing pieces to control the centre.

3. Playing c4-c5 to restrict Black's release break ... c6-c5, and to gain control of the d6-square. If White manages to keep Black's counterplay under control, the game will be slow paced and White could even be able to combine some of these plans while Black suffers through passive defence.

Black's plans :

The main objective is to dispute White's centre and transform the structure. This can be achieved by:

1. Breaking in the centre with ... c6-c5 which usually produces a black 4-2 (kingside/ queenside) versus a white 3-3 pawn structure with roughly level chances.

2. Breaking up the centre with ... e6-e5 in order to obtain a symmetrical position after White captures with dxe5. This plan is rather unlikely to succeed as many of White's pieces control e5 from their natural squares (d4-pawn, knight on £3, rook on el, queen on e2).

3. Putting pressure on the d4-pawn once c3-c4 has been played.

4.Challenging White's control of the d5-square by playing ... b7-b5 once White has played c2-c4.

As the reader may notice, all of White's plans aim for an advantage, while Black's Plans 1 and 2 are essentially aimed at equalizing. Black's Plan 3 rarely works, as White is able to defend the d4-pawn in most positions. This is why White's position is somewhat superior. le should be noted that Black's Plan 1 is the most likely to be successfully achieved.

Outposts :

Some would say Black can place a knight on his d5 outpost to compensate for White placing a knight on e5; this is certainly not the case. It is unlikely that Black's knight on d5 will create serious threats to White's position. Additionally, White can always push c3-c4 to get rid of this knight if it is absolutely necessary. In contrast, White's knight on e5 is very strong, as it creates threats against Black's king. Black cannot easily expel this knight since ... f7-f6 seriously weakens the kingside. The first three games in this chapter illustrate how White may successfully carry out his Plans 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Then follow two games which are examples of how Black may successfully carry out the ... c6-c5 break. Finally, the sixth game in the chapter illustrates Black's plan to play ... b7-b5, though White wins the game after the c6-pawn becomes a weakness.