The Panov-Botvinnik Attack Against the Caro-Kann Defense

I have been playing the Panov for many years. It is another one of those openings in which book knowledge is less important than the ideas. This is mainly because in my experience nobody plays the book lines to the end. However, there are two lines worth knowing. I will deal with the first one here.

1 e4 c6 2 d4

Since I switched to the Queen's Pawn opening, I still get this position via 1 d4 c6 2 e4.

2...d5 3 ed cd 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Nf3 Be7 7 c5

The characteristic move of this line. White has a Queen-side Pawn majority and will try to exploit that fact.

7...0-0 8 Bd3 b6 9 b4 a5 10 Na4 Nbd7

BCO2 also gives 10...Nfd7 11 h4 h6 12 Rh3 e5 13 Bxh6 Bf6 14 Be3 e4 15 Ng5 g6 16 Bb5. Black is worse if he tries 11...ab 12 Nxb6 Nxb6 13 Bxh7ch; or 11...f5 12 Ng5 Qe8 13 Bb5 Ba6 14 BxB NxB 15 b5.

11 Bf4

11 a3 seems too be a popular alternative these days.

11...ab 12 c6 Nc5 13 dc bc unclear according to BCO2.

A search of the database shows only 4 games since 1991 with this position, with white scoring 3 and a half. This suggests that White can have confidence playing this line, but perhaps Black should look for alternatives along the way.

Here are some games. The first is one of my favorites, because of the beautiful Queen sacrifice which ends it. I must confess, however, that the adage "necessity is the mother of invention" applies here. I had originally planned 23 Qh6, forcing mate next on g7, but because of Black's own mate threat I had to find something more forcing!

chessart(1905)-josi(1911), 3/17/96, 2,12
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 ed cd 4 c4 dc 5 Bcx4 Nf6 6 Nc3 e6 7 Nf3 Nc6 8 0-0 Be7 9 Re1 0-0 10 a3 a6 11 Qd3 b5 12 Ba2 Bc5 13 Be3 Bb7 14 Rad1 Ba7 15 Bb1 Na5 16 Bg5 g6 17 Ne5 Rc8 18 Ne4 Bxe4 19 Rxe4 Nc4 20 Rf4 Nxb2 21 Qh3 Nxd1 22 Bxf6 Rc1 23 Qxh7ch!! Kxh7 24 Rh4ch Black resigns 1-0

In the next game Black wins a Pawn in the opening, but neglects his development to do so. Predictable consequences ensue.

chessart(1597)-Black-Pawn(1642), 8/11/97, 2,1
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 ed cd 4 c4 Nc6 5 Nf3 Bf5 6 Nf3 Bf5 7 cd Nxd5 8 Bb5 Qb6 9 0-0 Nxc4 10 Bxc6ch Qxc6 11 bxc3 Qxc3 12 Bf4 e6 13 Rc1 Qa5 14 Ne5 Be7 15 Qb3 b6 16 Nc6 Qa6 17 Nxe7 Kxe7 18 Rc7ch Kf6 19 Be5ch Kg6 20 Qg3ch Kh5 21 Rxf7 Bg6 22 Qh3ch Kg5 23 Qh3ch Kg5 24 f4 mate 1-0

In the next game White gets passed b and c Pawns, and at the end, those Pawns have helped to trap the Black Queen!

chessart(1713)-DaxChess(1817), 10/4/97, 2,1
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 ed cd 4 c4 e6 5 Nc3 Nc6 6 Nf3 Nf6 7 c5 Be7 8 Bb5 Bd7 9 BxN BxB 10 Ne5 Nd7 11 Bf4 0-0 12 0-0 f6 13 NxN QxN 14 b4 Rae8 15 Re1 Bd8 16 Bd6 Rf7 17 a4 a6 18 Qb3 b6 19 b5! ab 20 ab Bb7 21 Qa3 bc 22 dc Bc8 23 c6 Black resigns 1-0

chessart(1678)-rook219uc(1711), 5/24/02, 2,10

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. c5 Be7 8. Bb5 O-O 9. O-O Bd7 10. Bxc6 Bxc6 11. Re1 Ne4 12. Qc2 Rc8 13. b4 a6 14. a4 Nxc3 15. Qxc3 Bf6 16. Be3 Qd7 17. Qb3 h6 18. Reb1 Qe8 19. b5 Bd7 20. Bf4 Be7 21. bxa6 bxa6 22. Qc2 g5 23. Bg3 f5 24. Be5 Bf6 25. Bxf6 Rxf6 26. Ne5 Qd8 27. Qb3 Rf8 28. Qb7 Rc7 29. Qxa6 Bc8 30. Qe2 Qe8 31. a5 Ra7 32. Rb8 Rb7 33. Rb1 Rxb8 34. Rxb8 Qa4 35. h3 Qxd4 36. Nc6 Qf4 37. Rxc8 Rxc8 38. Qxe6+ {Black resigns} 1-0

chessart(1666)-largo(1755), 9/6/97, 2,1

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Bb4 7. Bd2 Bxc3 8. Bxc3 O-O 9. c5 Nc6 10. Bb5 a6 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. O-O Ne4 13. Ne5 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Bb7 15. Qa4 Qc7 16. Rab1 f6 17. Nd3 Rab8 18. Rb6 Rfc8 19. Rfb1 Ba8 20. Qxa6 Rxb6 21. cxb6 Qb7 22. Qxb7 Bxb7 23. Nc5 Rb8 24. a4 Kf7 25. a5 e5 26. a6 Bc8 27. b7 Bf5 28. Rb2 exd4 29. cxd4 {Black resigns} 1-0

chessart(1793)-mofu(1726), 5/26/97, 2,10
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Qb3 Bxf3 9. gxf3 Nb6 10. d5 Nd4 11. Bb5+ Nxb5 12. Qxb5+ Qd7 13. Bf4 e6 14. d6 Qxb5 15. Nxb5 Nd5 16. Nc7+ Nxc7 17. dxc7 Bb4+ 18. Ke2 Rc8 19. Rac1 Ke7 20. Rhd1 f6 21. Rc4 Ba5 22. Bd6+ Kf7 23. Bg3 Rhe8 24. Rcd4 Bxc7 25. Rd7+ Re7 26. R7d3 e5 27. Rc3 Ke6 28. Rdc1 Rd7 29. f4 g6 30. fxe5 fxe5 31. Rc5 Rf7 32. Bxe5 Rd7 33. Bxc7 Re8 34. Re5+ Kf7 35. Rxe8 Kxe8 36. Bg3 {Black resigns} 1-0