There are a lot of very good chess players - even grandmasters - who would disagree with you. It's true, however, that the Caro-Kann Defense does not fit the style of many players. To me, it's similar to the French Defense - slow, solid and a tough nut to crack. Its strength lies mostly in its latency. It seems passive and then - suddenly - it's not! Personally, I'm not a fan of the Caro-Kann when I play with black, but that's only because it does not suit my style, but I still think it is a perfectly playable opening. I'm mostly a 1.d4 player but, occasionally, I'll play 1.e4 just to do something different when things start getting boring. This is when I face the Caro-Kann. I usually play the Two Knights Attack variation against it: 1.e4 c6, 2.Nf3 d5, 3.Nc3. It can be a tricky line but I've noticed that most Caro-players know how to handle it.
@@DavidEmerling79 The Caro has disappeared from super GM play. Even Karpov abandoned it in his later years, after a long string of losses. At club level, the Caro is even worse. The Von-Hennig is merely one way White can try to blow the Caro off the board. There are many others, and if Black isn’t ready for all of them, they are going to receive Morphy-esque beatings on a regular basis.
@@argumentative6909 I checked the Lichess master database. There were only 21 von Hennig Gambits. So, it's not a common way to combat the Caro Kann. Of those 21 games, White won only 3. There were 3 draws. Black won 15 of those games. It seems to me that the masters who play the Caro Kann know how to deal with the von Hennig Gambit - maybe amateurs do not - but masters do.
I am LOVING these gambit style videos! Would you please do one on the delayed wing gambit against the Sicilian? e4c5 a3 with intent to push b4, c3, d4, and Na3.
Hi - Like your gambit!! Could you show some play after Black takes the Knight on e6, then captures the Rook on e1? Seems that Black has a lot of pieces for the Queen to handle. Thank you.
There are better version of this sacrifice in the main line with 7.Nh3. The problem is that you cannot avoid the tartakower which is very popular nowadays, that's why I switched to the fantasy.
Yeah, too many options for the opponent if you play main lines -- that's why I avoid them like the plague!! :) haha gotta be the one to surprise them, not the other way around. Let me know what moves are with 7. Nh3 , I am curious :)
@@GambitMan In the classical line 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nh3! e6 8.Nf4 Bh7 9.Bc4 Nf6 10.0-0 then you get to smash on e6 whatever happens, and if black plays anything other than 10.Bd6 it's basically winning, otherwise you have good compensation and easy play similar to the lines you showed. Earlier deviations are also bad for black and result in a sacrifice on e6 nonetheless. Only problem is that black doesn't have to go for the classical line.
Hey william, love your videos and this gambit is super fun, but I struggle when they play after 5.f3 5...b5. If I play 6.Bb3 then exf3 7.Nxf3 e6 and my bishop on b3 is completely useless
A very good question! I've done some research, and while this is generally a Stockfish-approved option for black, it seems that our bishop can still be quite dangerous from this diagonal. 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. f3 b5 6. Bb3 (6. Be2 and 7. Bxf3 is also an option) 6... exf3 7. Nxf3 e6 (black achieves their goal of keeping our bishop off the d3-h7 diagonal, as you note) 8. O-O Be7 9. Ne5 O-O 10. Kh1 (a useful move. We need to move our queen, gambitting the d4 pawn, and not with check. Black struggles a bit to develop due to the pressure on their c6 pawn, preventing Nbd7) 10... a5 11. a3 (this could have been included at any moment in the past five or so moves. a2-a3 is a better choice for white than a2-a4, because the latter provokes b5-b4 and an uncomfortable movement for white's queenside knight. The inclusion of a5-a4 and Bb3-a2 likewise changes nothing.) 11... Bb7 (Black, now overprotecting c6, prepares Nbd7. So far, I am pretty much just following the most common / only natural moves for black, and this move had been played all 4 times on Lichess in which this position has been reached. After white's next move, however, the number of games drops to zero.) 12. Qf3! Qxd4 (Potentially capturing c6 and b5, and threats of Ne4 with pressure on e6 and f7 too. Or just Bf4 and Rad1 / Rae1 with excellent development.) 13. Nxf7!? Kxf7 (-1.5 on Stockfish and -0.6 on Lc0, but I would rather be white here as black's position seems rather impractical to defend) (13... Rxf7 14. Bxe6 and white is playing Bg5 and getting back their material with tons of activity and open lines) 14. Bg5 (Essentially, white's next moves are Rad1 and Qh3, maybe with Bxf6 at some moment, and black needs to find some very difficult moves including Bc8 and Ke8 just to hang on. Much more fun for white, as none of black's pieces are playing too well. Lots of good ideas here!! :) Hope this helps!! :) glad you enjoyed -William
@@GambitMan very impressive the time you spend to research and share with a random commenter on RUclips. I'm appreciative! I'll be copying and pasting that and studying it OTB. Thank you!
I really like your channel--just subscribed--and your games, but, please, bragging about this one? It was not a great position when he simply mis clicked and gave you a rook, not like you really beat him with the gambit. I mean little things like this that matter.
Now I know how to beat a grandmaster with the Von Hennig Gambit - just wait for a blunder due to a mouse slip.
His position was +/- anyhow
I really like your enthusiasm. The half smile on your face and excitement for what you're showing makes it very enjoyable to watch you.
Black’s best option is to not play the Caro, because it’s garbage.
Damn savage bro
There are a lot of very good chess players - even grandmasters - who would disagree with you. It's true, however, that the Caro-Kann Defense does not fit the style of many players. To me, it's similar to the French Defense - slow, solid and a tough nut to crack. Its strength lies mostly in its latency. It seems passive and then - suddenly - it's not!
Personally, I'm not a fan of the Caro-Kann when I play with black, but that's only because it does not suit my style, but I still think it is a perfectly playable opening. I'm mostly a 1.d4 player but, occasionally, I'll play 1.e4 just to do something different when things start getting boring. This is when I face the Caro-Kann. I usually play the Two Knights Attack variation against it: 1.e4 c6, 2.Nf3 d5, 3.Nc3. It can be a tricky line but I've noticed that most Caro-players know how to handle it.
@@DavidEmerling79 The Caro has disappeared from super GM play. Even Karpov abandoned it in his later years, after a long string of losses.
At club level, the Caro is even worse. The Von-Hennig is merely one way White can try to blow the Caro off the board. There are many others, and if Black isn’t ready for all of them, they are going to receive Morphy-esque beatings on a regular basis.
@@argumentative6909 I checked the Lichess master database. There were only 21 von Hennig Gambits. So, it's not a common way to combat the Caro Kann. Of those 21 games, White won only 3. There were 3 draws. Black won 15 of those games. It seems to me that the masters who play the Caro Kann know how to deal with the von Hennig Gambit - maybe amateurs do not - but masters do.
you are garbage....
Will, I love your enthusiasm. You are one of the reasons I started loving chess in my late years.
VERY WELL PLAYED against the GM!
I am LOVING these gambit style videos! Would you please do one on the delayed wing gambit against the Sicilian? e4c5 a3 with intent to push b4, c3, d4, and Na3.
As a Caro-Kann player, I thank you for mercifully including your advice on how best to defend against this devilry. 😂
The GM mated himself lol.
Hi - Like your gambit!! Could you show some play after Black takes the Knight on e6, then captures the Rook on e1? Seems that Black has a lot of pieces for the Queen to handle. Thank you.
There are better version of this sacrifice in the main line with 7.Nh3. The problem is that you cannot avoid the tartakower which is very popular nowadays, that's why I switched to the fantasy.
Yeah, too many options for the opponent if you play main lines -- that's why I avoid them like the plague!! :) haha gotta be the one to surprise them, not the other way around.
Let me know what moves are with 7. Nh3 , I am curious :)
@@GambitMan In the classical line 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nh3! e6 8.Nf4 Bh7 9.Bc4 Nf6 10.0-0 then you get to smash on e6 whatever happens, and if black plays anything other than 10.Bd6 it's basically winning, otherwise you have good compensation and easy play similar to the lines you showed. Earlier deviations are also bad for black and result in a sacrifice on e6 nonetheless. Only problem is that black doesn't have to go for the classical line.
Ah very cool!! Thanks for sharing
@@GambitMan you are welcome
Great William, but what if 6...Bxe4 (instead of Kxe4)?
May be just Kxe4, Qe2 and play chess?
Hey william, love your videos and this gambit is super fun, but I struggle when they play after 5.f3 5...b5. If I play 6.Bb3 then exf3 7.Nxf3 e6 and my bishop on b3 is completely useless
A very good question! I've done some research, and while this is generally a Stockfish-approved option for black, it seems that our bishop can still be quite dangerous from this diagonal.
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. f3 b5 6. Bb3
(6. Be2 and 7. Bxf3 is also an option)
6... exf3 7. Nxf3 e6
(black achieves their goal of keeping our bishop off the d3-h7 diagonal, as you note)
8. O-O Be7 9. Ne5 O-O 10. Kh1
(a useful move. We need to move our queen, gambitting the d4 pawn, and not with check. Black struggles a bit to develop due to the pressure on their c6 pawn, preventing Nbd7)
10... a5 11. a3
(this could have been included at any moment in the past five or so moves. a2-a3 is a better choice for white than a2-a4, because the latter provokes b5-b4 and an uncomfortable movement for white's queenside knight. The inclusion of a5-a4 and Bb3-a2 likewise changes nothing.)
11... Bb7
(Black, now overprotecting c6, prepares Nbd7. So far, I am pretty much just following the most common / only natural moves for black, and this move had been played all 4 times on Lichess in which this position has been reached. After white's next move, however, the number of games drops to zero.)
12. Qf3! Qxd4
(Potentially capturing c6 and b5, and threats of Ne4 with pressure on e6 and f7 too. Or just Bf4 and Rad1 / Rae1 with excellent development.)
13. Nxf7!? Kxf7 (-1.5 on Stockfish and -0.6 on Lc0, but I would rather be white here as black's position seems rather impractical to defend)
(13... Rxf7 14. Bxe6 and white is playing Bg5 and getting back their material with tons of activity and open lines)
14. Bg5
(Essentially, white's next moves are Rad1 and Qh3, maybe with Bxf6 at some moment, and black needs to find some very difficult moves including Bc8 and Ke8 just to hang on. Much more fun for white, as none of black's pieces are playing too well. Lots of good ideas here!! :)
Hope this helps!! :) glad you enjoyed
-William
@@GambitMan very impressive the time you spend to research and share with a random commenter on RUclips. I'm appreciative! I'll be copying and pasting that and studying it OTB. Thank you!
So similar to the Smith Morra. Another opening for Gambit Chads.
I really like your channel--just subscribed--and your games, but, please, bragging about this one? It was not a great position when he simply mis clicked and gave you a rook, not like you really beat him with the gambit. I mean
little things like this that matter.