CARTE: Practical Opening Repertoire for White - Vol. 1, by Alexey Kovalchuk

Challenge the French Defense with the Exchange Variation Simplify the position early Maintain central tension Use piece activity to exploit symmetrical structures Create imbalances Take on the Caro-Kann with 2.c4! Disrupt Black’s typical plans by grabbing space early Surprise Black with an early disrupting Queen move Steering the game into Panov-style or reversed Tarrasch positions Setting the tone for dynamic, unbalanced play For whom would I recommend playing the exchange variation of the French Defense? First of all, for those players who strive for a clear and understandable game with good endgame technique. We would also like to surprise our opponent to some extent, throw him off his preparation, and dull his vigilance. With good knowledge, we can not only claim a theoretical advantage, but also exert some psychological pressure, since the opponent will lose his chances of winning. Perhaps they will become bored, and this will contribute to some kind of aggressive action on the part of our rivals; perhaps this will only lead to a weakening, which is what we are trying to provoke. In the Caro-Kann Defense, I recommend playing 2.с4!?, the so-called English variation! So-named because the English maestro Elijah Williams played 2.c4 for the first time in 1845. The idea of exploring this option also came about by chance. I always liked to study the opening and look for new, interesting and non-standard ideas. At some point, the old ideas became boring to me, and I wanted to look for something new. My gaze and attention was drawn to how Oleksandr Bortnyk plays against the Caro-Kann defense. I began further study after the moves: 1.е4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.exd5 Nf6. I was surprised by the move: 5. Qа4!? You could say that I immediately fell in love with this move. Later, analyzing this option with engines a lot, I decided to create a file on my computer. The analysis expanded, I found interesting and new ideas, and then I started playing them in online games and the results surprised me.