Caro-Kann Advance Variation
You play White · 6 variations
Mixed practice
The machine picks a different variation every time.
Take a quiz
10 positions: find the next theory move in each. No take-backs, no hints.
Main variations · 4
- Advance Variation, Van der Wiel AttackB121. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nc3 e6 5. g4 Bg6 6. Nge2 c5 7. h47 moves
- Advance Variation, Short VariationB121. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Nd7 6. O-O Ne7 7. Nbd2 h6 8. Nb3 g5 9. a4 Bg7 10. a5 Qc710 moves
- Advance Variation, Tal VariationB121. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 h5 5. Bd3 Bxd3 6. Qxd3 Qa5+ 7. Nd2 e6 8. Nf3 Nh6 9. O-O Nf5 10. Nb3 Qa610 moves
- Advance Variation, Bayonet AttackB121. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. g4 Be4 5. f3 Bg6 6. e6 Qd6 7. exf7+ Bxf77 moves
Other variations · 2
What is the Caro-Kann Advance Variation?
The Caro-Kann Advance Variation starts 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5. As in the French Advance, White locks the center and takes space, but here Black's light-squared bishop can still come out before ...e6. The main reply is ...Bf5, putting the bishop on an active diagonal, while ...c5 is a respectable alternative. The character is closed and strategic, but some of White's options turn it into sharp attacking play aimed at harassing the bishop on f5. It is one of White's most popular and respected answers to the Caro-Kann at every level.
Main ideas and plans
After 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 you can choose between a calm build-up and a direct attack. The Short Variation, 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2, is the positional route: you castle, play c3 or Be3, and keep a small space advantage while Black plays ...c5, ...Nc6 and ...Nd7. The sharp route is the Van der Wiel Attack, 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nc3 e6 5.g4 Bg6 6.Nge2 c5 7.h4, where you use kingside pawns to chase the bishop and grab space. On move four, the Bayonet Attack with g4 and the Tal Variation with h4 follow the same idea more directly, while the Bronstein Variation with Ne2 prepares Ng3 to hit the bishop with a piece.
Black's counterplay comes from two pawn breaks. The ...c5 break attacks d4, as in the French, and the ...f6 break attacks e5. Black also often brings a knight to f5 via e7. Your job is to keep e5 and d4 supported, avoid overextending, and use your space for a kingside attack or for queenside expansion with c4 or b4, as in the Prins Attack with an early b4.
Who is it for?
The Advance suits players who enjoy space and either a slow squeeze or a pawn storm, and it lets you choose the type of game: the Short Variation for positional play, the Van der Wiel or Tal lines for sharp attacking chess. The risk in the sharp lines is that your advanced pawns become weak if the attack fails. First understand when the ...c5 break is dangerous for you, and in the Tal Variation, 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.h4, expect ...h5 or ...h6, which gives the bishop a retreat so that h4-h5 does not trap it.