Attacking Black with 3.f3
The Caro-Kann Defence has become one of the most important and popular replies to 1.e4. Its ‘solid’ and ‘drawish’ reputation no longer applies in modern chess. In fact, White could do with some new ideas to fight for an advantage in this chess opening.
Grandmaster Alexey Bezgodov advocates a very early deviation, the annoying and little-explored 3.f3!?. This strange-looking move was already played by former greats Geza Maroczy and World Champion Vassily Smyslov, but the idea has come to fruition in the hands of modern world-class players like Vassily Ivanchuk, Alexander Morozevich and Judit Polgar.
The move 3.f3!? considerably complicates life for Caro-Kann players, as it makes Black’s main problem bigger: the development of his bishop on c8. White’s chances to obtain an advantage are substantial, as Bezgodov shows in this fascinating new chapter in modern chess opening theory, packed with new resources, original analysis, clear explanations and dozens of tests.
About the Author
Alexey Bezgodov (1969) is a Russian chess grandmaster and writer. He was Russian Champion in 1993 and came shared first in the 1999 Ukrainian Championship. In 2004 he published Challenging the Sicilian with 2.a3!?, another highly original chess opening book.
Reviews
GM Glenn Flear, author of “Starting Out: Open Games“: “‘The Extreme Caro-Kann‘ effectively takes Black out of his comfort zone, which isn’t an easy task against this defence (..) Overall an excellent book from Bezgodov. The author has certainly persuaded me that 3.f3 is more than just a surprise weapon. So Caro-Kann practitioners should get hold of this book before their future opponents do!”
Martin Rieger, SchachWelt: “A very good and honest opening book with serious and deep analysis. The many novelties and new ideas make this system a weapon against the Caro-Kann that one should not underestimate.”
Richard Vedder, Schakers.info: “A thorough study of the move 3.f3, choke-full of surprising variations. This system (..) turns out to be perfectly playable.”