The Caro-Kann1...c6, and why it solves the French's main problem.Chess1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 — solid, and structurally sounder than it first appears.11...c6Prepares ...d5 without blocking the c8 bishop.22...d5Challenges the centre, as in the French.3...Bf5 or ...Bg4The key difference: the bishop develops outside the pawn chainfirst.4Then ...e6Now the pawn chain is complete and no piece is trapped behind it.MAIN LINESClassical: 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5Advance: 3.e5 Bf5Exchange and Panov: 3.exd5Fantasy: 3.f3Very solid and structurally sound, at the cost of being slightly slow. Itsuits players who dislike sharp complications.The Caro-Kannlearnposters.com
The Caro-Kann — printable games wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

The Caro-Kann, step by step

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 — solid, and structurally sounder than it first appears.

  1. 1...c6Prepares ...d5 without blocking the c8 bishop.
  2. 2...d5Challenges the centre, as in the French.
  3. ...Bf5 or ...Bg4The key difference: the bishop develops outside the pawn chain first.
  4. Then ...e6Now the pawn chain is complete and no piece is trapped behind it.

Main lines

  • Classical: 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5
  • Advance: 3.e5 Bf5
  • Exchange and Panov: 3.exd5
  • Fantasy: 3.f3

Very solid and structurally sound, at the cost of being slightly slow. It suits players who dislike sharp complications.

Questions about the The Caro-Kann poster

What’s on the The Caro-Kann poster?
4 numbered steps, with a full worked run-through. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 — solid, and structurally sounder than it first appears. 1...c6 — Prepares ...d5 without blocking the c8 bishop.; 2...d5 — Challenges the centre, as in the French.; ...Bf5 or ...Bg4 — The key difference: the bishop develops outside the pawn chain first.; Then ...e6 — Now the pawn chain is complete and no piece is trapped behind it.. Very solid and structurally sound, at the cost of being slightly slow. It suits players who dislike sharp complications.
Who is the The Caro-Kann poster for?
The Caro-Kann belongs to the Chess section rather than to a school year, because games is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning openings can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the The Caro-Kann poster?
Black plays ...c6 first, so the light bishop can leave before ...e6 shuts it in. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so The Caro-Kann belongs on the wall where that games work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with The Caro-Kann?
The French Defence, Avoiding Theory and When to Castle sit alongside The Caro-Kann in the Chess section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.The French DefenceAvoiding TheoryWhen to Castle
Is the The Caro-Kann poster free to download and print?
Yes. The Caro-Kann downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Chess section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the The Caro-Kann poster print at?
The Caro-Kann is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of The Caro-Kann loses nothing.Printing guide

Related posters

Charts that sit alongside The Caro-Kann on the same wall.

Browse every Chess poster, or start from the full catalogue.