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Caro-Kann Defense

Intermediate
black repertoire·7 parts

The Caro-Kann (1.e4 c6). Black meets e4 with ...d5, backed by the c6-pawn — a rock-solid, low-risk defence. Its trademark: the light-squared bishop comes out to f5 before ...e6, so it stays active instead of getting buried like in the French.

Main idea

Finish developing safely — your light-squared bishop is already outside the pawn chain, so just add ...e6, bring out both knights, and castle.

Once you're solid, hit White's centre with the ...c5 pawn break to free your position.

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Start

Key Strategic Ideas

The core ideas behind every Caro-Kann line: challenge e4 with ...d5, get the light bishop active before locking it in, keep a solid structure, and free the position with ...c5.