Massachusetts Defense, Caro Kann
Table of Contents
Brief intro paragraph — what opening/idea is this about and why it’s interesting.
Intro / 4. Nc3
- e4 c6
- d4 f5??
The Massachusetts Defense. Black plans to win the pawn back with Qa5+. Looks terrible: Black will waste 2 moves with the queen, and weakens their kingside.
However, there is an engine move that is a little bit tricky, and I plan to pull it out in blitz:
- exf5 Qa5+
- Nc3 d6??
Some people would say this is another mistake. Idk, I think its cool. There’s at least one trap.
The most likely moves according to Maia-3 at Elo 2000 are:
| Move | Probability |
|---|---|
| Qh5+?? | 39.28% |
| Bd3 | 32.56% |
Qh5 is very natural, but there is a pin on whites f5 pawn. When black is no longer losing after 5. Qg5 g6! (white has pinned their own queen)
After 6. Qf3 Bxf5
black will castle queenside, and try to survive. Its worth a shot in your local chess club 🙂