Caro Kann - Panov Attack

[Neville Twitchell]

It has always seemed to me that so many opening books, whilst often excellent in their way, tend to neglect, or minimise, the significance and playability of alternative lines of play in standard openings, even where these lines are very natural and superficially very hard to refute.
No doubt a large part of the reason for this is the limitation on the size of books necessitated by commercial considerations, and the fact that the authors are struggling to produce their drafts on time. An examination of every reasonable possibility in every position would make opening monographs ludicrously lengthy. But sometimes the omissions are so glaring as to be maddening.

A case in point is the position that occurs in the Panov Attack against the Caro Kann after:- 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Qb3 Bg7 7. cxd5 00 8. Be2 etc.

Every book I have come across about the Caro, such as Jacob Aargaard's "Easy Guide to the Panov-Botvinnik Attack" (Cadogan, 1998) to take a prominent example (and all general opening monographs as well for that matter) take it as read that after 6. Qb3 black has to play 6...Bg7, gambitting a pawn for uncertain compensation. He may well wish to do that, but there seems no reason why he cannot simply hold with 6...e6.
Admittedly at first sight the move is slightly suspect because he is leaving his dark squares a bit weak and you feel that white must have some really convincing refutation of this move, but some explanation for the unplayability of the move would be nice. Yet it is never given.
I have now subjected the move to deep computer analysis and there seems to be absolutely no reason to suggest the move is unplayable. Even 6...dxc4 may be playable, and the two variations can easily transpose into each other.
Fritz's analysis indicates that 6...e6 is probably no way inferior to the regulation 6...Bg7. So why never any mention of it in the scholarly tomes?

I have tried to attach the relevant Chessbase file so that readers can judge for themselves but it doesn't seem to allow me to do so. if anyone can tell me how I would be only too happy to upload it.

[James Coleman]

6...e6 in that exact position was played by Topalov just over a month ago...

[Neville Twitchell]

I can now add the relevant file as an attachment herewith.

Caro-Kann-Panov.cbv

[Neville Twitchell]

6...e6 in that exact position was played by Topalov just over a month ago...

Sorry for not being completely up to date with things, James. Where did he play it and where can i find the game?

[James Coleman]

Hi Neville,

You can find it here

[Event "Nanjing Pearl Spring 3rd"]
[Site "Nanjing"]
[Date "2010.10.26"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Gashimov, Vugar"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B14"]
[WhiteElo "2719"]
[BlackElo "2803"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2010.10.20"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Qb3 e6 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8.
Nf3 Nc6 9. Bg5 f6 10. Bd2 Bg7 11. Bd3 O-O 12. O-O Nce7 13. Rfe1 b6 14. Re2 Kh8
15. Rae1 a6 16. h4 Ra7 17. Bb1 Rc7 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. h5 gxh5 20. Qd3 f5 21. Ng5
Nf6 22. Qg3 Ng4 23. Bf4 Rc4 24. Nf3 Bb7 25. Bg5 Bf6 26. Bxf6+ Rxf6 27. Ng5 Bd5
28. f3 Qg8 29. Nxe6 Bxe6 30. fxg4 Qxg4 31. Qe5 Kg7 32. Rd2 Bf7 33. Rf1 f4 34.
d5 Rc8 35. Rdf2 Re8 36. Qxf6+ Kxf6 37. Rxf4+ Qxf4 38. Rxf4+ Kg7 39. d6 Rd8 40.
Rd4 Kf6 41. Rf4+ Kg7 42. Rd4 Kf6 43. Rf4+ Kg7 1/2-1/2

[Neville Twitchell]

Hi Neville,

You can find it here

[Event "Nanjing Pearl Spring 3rd"]
[Site "Nanjing"]
[Date "2010.10.26"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Gashimov, Vugar"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B14"]
[WhiteElo "2719"]
[BlackElo "2803"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2010.10.20"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Qb3 e6 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8.
Nf3 Nc6 9. Bg5 f6 10. Bd2 Bg7 11. Bd3 O-O 12. O-O Nce7 13. Rfe1 b6 14. Re2 Kh8
15. Rae1 a6 16. h4 Ra7 17. Bb1 Rc7 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. h5 gxh5 20. Qd3 f5 21. Ng5
Nf6 22. Qg3 Ng4 23. Bf4 Rc4 24. Nf3 Bb7 25. Bg5 Bf6 26. Bxf6+ Rxf6 27. Ng5 Bd5
28. f3 Qg8 29. Nxe6 Bxe6 30. fxg4 Qxg4 31. Qe5 Kg7 32. Rd2 Bf7 33. Rf1 f4 34.
d5 Rc8 35. Rdf2 Re8 36. Qxf6+ Kxf6 37. Rxf4+ Qxf4 38. Rxf4+ Kg7 39. d6 Rd8 40.
Rd4 Kf6 41. Rf4+ Kg7 42. Rd4 Kf6 43. Rf4+ Kg7 1/2-1/2

Thanks James. Glad to see GMs now following my analysis.