Anatoly Karpov - Caro-Kann Defence: Panov Attack

sign up for our newsletter here
tap to read more

@Batsford_Books

www.anovabooks.com

First published in the United Kingdom in 2006 by

Batsford
151 Freston Road
London
W10 6TH
@Batsford_Books

An imprint of Anova Books Company Ltd

Copyright B T Batsford 2006

Text copyright Anatoly Karpov, Mikhail Podgaets

The moral right of the authors has been asserted.

The text is printed under edition Russian Chess House, Moscow 2006

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

First eBook publication 2014
ISBN: 9781849941716

Also available in paperback

ISBN: 9780713490114

This book can be ordered direct from the publisher at
www.anovabooks.com, or try your local bookshop.

The opening system, characterised by the moves 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 ed cd 4 c4!?

is so called in honour of the Soviet master and theoretician Vasily Panov, who published his analysis in 1930. For the sake of accuracy we mention that as far back as 1925 the idea of exchanging on d5 followed by the dash of the c-pawn was tried by A.Alekhine (in a game against Tartakower) but without success. In 1931 was played the famous game Nimzowitsch - Alekhine, in which the 4th world champion was successful in his fight against the Panov Attack, but, starting the following year, he included it in his own opening repertoire with stunning successes. Eight wins in ten games such a score is the envy of every opening variation!

In 1933 the variation was tested by M.Botvinnik in a match against S.Flohr with variable success (one out of two), but in the following years the Panov Attack served Mikhail Moiseevich faithfully. Spectacular and convincing victories over H.Kmoch (Leningrad 1934), R.Spielmann (Moscow 1935), A.Budo (Leningrad 1938), A.Konstantinopolsky (Sverdlovsk 1943), H.Golombek (Moscow 1956) are proof of this.

In our day the Panov Attack has rather receded into the background, but in no way has it become a second class opening system. It is enough to say that it is employed by elite grandmasters M.Adams, J.Polgar, A.Morozevich and V.Ivanchuk.

The fortune of the Panov Attack in matches is likewise remarkable. We recall the world championship matches Chiburdanidze Ioseliani (Telavi 1988) and Karpov Kamsky (Elista 1996); in both contests there was a dispute over the Panov Attack, and only with great difficulty did Black contain the opponents attack.

The material presented in this book is laid out in the following way.

In the first half the authors deal with those defences in which Black refrains from the move e7-e6. Thus, is given an analysis of the continuation 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 ed cd 4 c4 f6 5 c3 g6.

In the second half we deal with the main line: 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 ed cd 4 c4 f6 5 c3 e6 The positions arising after the exchange on d5 (or c4), with the isolation of the d4 pawn, are analogous to several schemes in the Queens Gambit Accepted, Nimzo-Indian Defence, or completely transpose into them. Consequently readers who study the given formations have at their disposal a universal scheme, suitable for immediate application in a number of openings which at first sight look completely different.

The material in the second half is divided into three: after 6 f3 Black can choose between 6c6 ().

In the we analyse the individual Steiner System: 1 e4 c6 2 c4!?

In certain cases this system inevitably transposes into the Panov Attack, but in others its branches resemble Indian or Slav opening schemes. It is important to mention that by examining the Panov Attack together with the Steiner Attack, the reader obtains exhaustive information both on the attacking potential of the c2-c4 idea in the Caro Kann Defence and also on Blacks possibilities of neutralising the attack.

The section includes fresh practical material to supplement the theory of the Panov Attack.

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 ed cd 4 c4 f6 5 c3 c6 6 f3

And so, we return to the plan where Black rejects the immediate advance e7-e6. Obviously, he intends to resolve the problem of the centre in another way.

There are two main paths: 5c6 and 5g6, but first we deal with 5e6!? (after 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 ed cd 4 c4 f6 5 c3)

The idea looks artificial, but with improvements, above all by the English grandmaster Anthony Miles, the thrust of the bishop gained a reputation of being an interesting and in any case useful move for the continuation of the struggle.