skip to Main Content
Chess Lessons And Online Chess Courses

Jacques Mieses vs Marcus Kann

Caro Kann, 1885

Marcus Kann plays his immortal game against Jacques Mieses using the Caro Kann defense and systematically shuts down Jacques Mieses attack.

PGN ANALYSIS
Cinematic Video

You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.
jQuery(document).ready(function($) { var selector = '#' + "rpbchessboard-6475b5b138635-1" + ' .rpbchessboard-chessgameAnchor'; RPBChessboard.renderPGN($(selector), {"pgn":"[Event \"?\"][Event \"Hamburg\"] [Site \"Hamburg GER\"] [Date \"1885.??.??\"] [Round \"?\"] [White \"Jacques Mieses\"] [Black \"Marcus Kann\"] [Result \"0-1\"] [ECO \"B12\"] [Annotator \"Mac\"] [PlyCount \"48\"] [EventDate \"1885.??.??\"] [SourceDate \"2014.01.17\"] {In this game we see one of the absolute earliest encounters featuring the Caro-Kann Defense. This opening takes the name of the two players, Horatio Caro and Marcus Kann who made the biggest contributions to the opening in its infancy. Here we see one of the pioneers put it to good use, showcasing a beautiful victory.} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 {[#][%csl Gc8] In this time period the Caro-Kann was a brand new opening. Since then, some of the most popular variations have been developed as follows.} 3. e5 {Known as the advance variation for obvious reasons.} (3. Nc3 {This has traditionally been the mainline. White defends the center and continues to develop.} dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 {The main advantage of the Caro-Kann in comparison to the French defense is that the light-squared bishop is a much better piece for black in this opening. Usually black tries to develop it as soon as possible and then continues with kingside development.} (4... Nf6 {This is the Tartakower variation and has gained in popularity lately. A line that has been seeing a lot of attention at the elite level goes as follows…} 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Qc2 Re8+ 9. Ne2 h5 $5)) (3. f3 $5 {This is known as the fantasy variation. White is definitely taking some liberties to move the f-pawn so early here but it is perfectly playable and can lead to very active setups for both sides.} dxe4 4. fxe4 e5 5. Nf3 (5. dxe5 $4 {[%csl Re1]} Qh4+ {[%cal Yh4e1,Yh4e4]}) 5... Bg4 6. Bc4 {[%cal Rc4f7]}) (3. exd5 {This can lead to solid play or an immediate attack on the black center, depending on how white wishes to continue.} cxd5 4. c4 {[%cal Yb1c3]} (4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 {[%cal Yc1f4,Yg1f3,Yb1d2]})) 3... Bf5 { [%cal Ye7e6,Yf8b4]} (3... c5 {This is a popular way of meeting the advanced variation. The play has a more open character than many of the other more closed variations of the advanced.} 4. dxc5) 4. Bd3 $6 (4. h4 {This is a very challenging move for black. The idea is that 4… e6 is now a tragic blunder.} e6 $4 5. g4 Bg6 6. h5 Be4 7. f3 $18) (4. Nf3 {This is the Short variation named after Nigel Short. It has a very good reputation for white.}) (4. Nc3 e6 5. g4 Bg6 6. Nge2 c5 7. h4 {This was an interesting and active way that Kasparov began to use in the 90’s in particular against Karpov. He achieved good results but it hasn’t stood up to the test of time. It is generally considered that black gets good counterplay here.}) 4... Bxd3 5. Qxd3 e6 { [#][%csl Yb7,Yc6,Yd5,Ye6,Yf7,Gf8]} 6. f4 c5 7. c3 {[#][%csl Rc1,Rc3,Rd4,Re5,Rf4] Not a pretty pawn structure for that dark-squared bishop on c1.} (7. dxc5 $2 { This looks good at first because white will win some material but it’s at too great a cost. Black’s development will be overpowering and white’s king will have no safe place to go.} Bxc5 8. Qb5+ Nd7 9. Qxb7 Ne7 $17) 7... Nc6 8. Nf3 Qb6 $2 9. O-O $6 {[%csl Rg1][%cal Rb6g1]} (9. dxc5 $1 {This was white’s one and only chance this game. It is perfect timing to trade here and create a valuable outpost on d4.} Bxc5 10. b4 Be7 {[%csl Rb6][%cal Rc1e3]} 11. Be3 { [%cal Re3b6]} Qc7 {[%csl Yd4][%cal Yb1d2,Yf3d4,Ye3d4,Yd2b3,Yb3d4]}) 9... Nh6 10. b3 $6 {White is in some serious trouble here. d4 is going to come under serious pressure.} (10. Na3 $1 {[%cal Ya3c2,Yc2d4]}) 10... cxd4 11. cxd4 Nf5 { [%cal Rf5d4,Rc6d4,Rb6d4]} 12. Bb2 Rc8 {[%cal Rc6b4,Rb4c2,Rc8c2]} 13. a3 $2 (13. Rc1 Kd7 $3 {Renewing the threat of Ncxd4 and surprisingly there is no good way to deal with it.}) (13. Rd1 $2 Nb4 14. Qe2 (14. Qd2 Rc2) 14... Rc2 15. Rd2 { It looks like white has things covered but it’s an illusion.} Rxb2 $1 16. Rxb2 Nxd4 $1 17. Nxd4 Bc5 $1 $19 {[%cal Rc5d4,Rd4b2,Rd4g1,Rb2a1]}) 13... Ncxd4 { [%cal Rb6g1]} 14. Nxd4 Bc5 15. Rd1 Nxd4 16. Bxd4 Bxd4+ 17. Qxd4 Rc1 $3 {[#] [%cal Yd1d4,Rc1g1]} 18. Kf2 {[%cal Rb6f2,Yd4d1]} Rxd1 19. Qxb6 axb6 20. Ke2 Rc1 21. Kd2 Rg1 22. g3 Kd7 23. a4 Rc8 24. b4 Rcc1 {Not a shabby start to this opening’s history!} 0-1","nboSquareSize":50,"idoSquareSize":50,"nboCoordinateVisible":true,"idoCoordinateVisible":true,"nboColorset":"greenvintage","idoColorset":"greenvintage","nboPieceset":"new-set-mac","idoPieceset":"new-set-mac","nboAnimated":true,"nboMoveArrowVisible":false,"nboMoveArrowColor":"b","pieceSymbols":"native","navigationBoard":"frame","withFlipButton":true,"withDownloadButton":true}); });

Jacques Mieses vs Marcus Kann

Caro Kann, 1885

The Caro Kann is a very respected opening that is seen by players of all levels. It’s history is not as long as many of the other openings, such as the Italian, Spanish, or Sicilian openings but it got its start with quite the bang! In this article, we will see Marcus Kann show off the opening’s potential with his victory over Jaques Mieses, one of the best players of this time period. Although the Caro Kann is not known for flashy tactics, this game shows that players on the white side can never let their guard down.

Caro Kann Mieses Vs Kann Free Chess Lesson
Hamburg, Germany
Jacques Mieses
Marcus Kann
Caro Kann
19th Century, 1885

Do you like this this lesson? Share it with your friends!

[elfsight_social_share_buttons id="1"]
Chess Lessons And Online Chess Courses

More Chess Lessons

Shirov Polgar Sicilian Defense

Shirov vs Polgar

Judit Polgar known for her aggressiveness plays the Sicilian Defense against none other than Alexey…

Go To Chess Lesson
The Evergreen Game Anderssen Vs Dufresne

Anderssen vs Dufresne

The evergreen game was played between Adolf Andersen and Jean Dufresne in Berlin, Germany. It…

Go To Chess Lesson

The Game of the Century

Chess Lesson and Video:  "The game of the century" is maybe the ultimate title any…

Go To Chess Lesson

“Many have become chess Masters; no one has become the master of chess.”

Siegbert Tarash

Learn to play chess online with us! Get dedicated online chess lessons , chess coaching and chess classes both in-person and online.  In addition we are a chess school that offers affordable and effective online grandmaster chess lessons! Our instructors are all chess grandmasters. Stay up to date on online chess classes information and to find the class that is right for you. Learn chess online here at Grandmaster Mac Online Chess Academy.

Back To Top