Introduction
Bologan’s Caro-Kann came out in 2018. It’s, in my opinion, the best single resource for Caro-Kann players. One thing that needs to be highlighted is that he provides two lines for black against most variations white can choose. That’s very rare in repertoire books, and I like it! You can, for example, choose between Be6 and dxc4 in the Bg5 Panov. Having played both, I can say that those two types of positions are very different, and having them both covered would definitely enable new Caro-Kann players to make an informed choice. Other than that, the book is a very standard repertoire book. It’s intended for higher-rated players, and it’s not annotated in great detail, so it will require you to have one or two boards on the side at all times.
The lines are modern, engine tested, and none of them are outdated (as of January 2026 and as far as I know). Victor Bologan has been a Caro-Kann player for 20 years, and he plays it regularly along with e5, c5, and the Modern. He is famous for his work on the King’s Indian, Spanish, and the Catalan too, and all of his opening books go into great depth and aren’t suited for anyone below 2000 FIDE level. They are meant for serious tournament players. His Caro-Kann is no exception.
Other Books by Victor Bologan
- ELO: 1800
- -
- 2000
- Bologan’s Black Weapons in the Open Games
- Victor Bologan
Recommended and Covered Variations
Bologan’s coverage of the Caro-Kann isn’t complete. This isn’t a book on the Caro-Kann, it’s his Caro-Kann repertoire. And that’s a good thing. He limits black choices and suggests (mostly) optimal continuations. Here’s what he recommends for each variation:
The Nc3 Complex, Classical Variation with Bf5
Against Nc3, Bologan recommends Bf5. This part of the book is the most difficult for inexperienced Caro-Kann players and readers to learn and understand. Bologan covers almost every key variation in detail, highlighting differences between Bd2 and Bf4 precisely, for example, explaining white’s Kb1 or Ne4 ideas. He sometimes presents variations in which black castles long and sometimes where black castles short. They are backed up by very concrete lines, often involving much needed help from an engine to fully understand them.
In the Bf5 Classical, my biggest struggle was always to decide where to castle, and, even though his reasoning is valid, his explanations are not easy for anyone below GM level to follow in my opinion. The Bf5 complex has to be reduced down to several key types of positions. Bologan didn’t do that well. It’s overwhelming. Even for me, and I have been playing Bf5 for years.
He covers sidelines such as 5.Bc5 in detail, which is great. One thing that struck me as odd is that he doesn’t cover the Flohr variation at all (6.Nh3). He covers 6.N1e2, which has almost identical ideas, so that can sort of be forgiven, but the variations almost never transpose. He writes: “6.Nh3 leads to a transposition: 6…Nf6 7.Bc4 (7.Nf4 transposes into the main line) 7…e6 8.Nf4 Bd6 leads to one of the lines of the next chapter.” In my experience, lower rated players often find non-book moves, and a transposition is by no means guaranteed.
Breyer (KIA)
Against the King’s Indian Attack setups, Bologan recommends lines with 3…e5 and 4…Bd6, the main lines. Personally, I dislike those so that was one of the few parts of the book I couldn’t use. I play 3…g6 setups.
Fantasy
Against the Fantasy (f3), Bologan plays e6, which used to be my main weapon. He writes: “The most solid, although Black has quite a wide choice here. Yes, the light-squared bishop will not get active play in the immediate future, but the pawn on f3 also seriously impedes White’s development and is no adornment to his position.” I have switched from e6 to Qb6 recently, but I have to agree that e6 is by far the most solid option for black. He explains the main strategic ideas such as b6-Ba6 to exchange the bad bishop well.
Bologan’s recommended repertoire is very solid in places. Against the Fantasy, for example, he recommends what used to be my favorite setup, 3…e6. let’s have a great game in which Peter Heine Nielsen played e6 against Jonny Hector’s Fantasy in 2009. This was the position on move 10 for black. A typical example of how an open center position looks like in the e6 Fantasy. Black’s turn. How would you evaluate the position?
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Two Knights
Against the Two Knights, Bologan plays Bg4, which is my favorite line, and he recommends Bxf3 on h3. I was hoping he would go for Bh5, my new weapon against h3. He also covers alternatives to h3 well.
One line that made me stop playing Bxf3 is when white continues 6.d3 and 7.Bd2. I always get into bad positions against it. Against it, he recommends the rare 7…Qb6, which I quite like! One thing also has to be said – he covers both Nf6 after Qxf3, and e6, with Nf6 allowing sidelines with e5, which aren’t dangerous, but still have to be studied.
Accelerated Panov
His repertoire is in line with mine against an early c4. I think there aren’t many sensible alternatives to the main lines though. Bb5+ as well as Qa4+ variations are covered better than in any other resource I’ve ever held in my hands.
Panov-Botvinnik
In the Panov, Bologan plays Nf6 and Nc6, allowing the four knights. He plays Bg4 against Nf3, allowing the endgame. I now play Be6 against Nf3, avoiding the dry positions. In Bologan’s defense, he has explained the strategy of the Panov endgame well. If you want to follow his recommendation of Bg4, you will be well prepared. He also covers Be6 though! So if you wanna play my favorite line against Nf3, it’s covered, but not in as much depth.
6.Bg5 instead of Nf3 is in the chapter on “minor lines” in the Panov. That’s unjust since it’s more popular than Nf3. He recommends dxc4 against it. I have studied that line in detail. It’s interesting, but I feel like Be6 is safer and simpler. He does avoid the typical pawn structure Be6 allows though, in which white plays c5 and has a pawn majority on the queenside.
Exchange Variation
Against the 6.h3 exchange, which is slowly becoming the main line I think, he recommends e5! A sharp line I never liked (I play g6 with the idea of Bf5, the main line). Bologan writes: “Fischer considered this move best and sufficient for equality; later practice has confirmed his judgement.
Although Black acquires an isolated pawn, he manages to eliminate the strong enemy bishop on d3, complete his development and reach a decent position…” In practice, I always struggled with the middlegames after e5. But Bologan is much stronger than I am. The structures after e5 require a deep positional understanding of the IQP. He also covers g6 lines though.
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In the main lines with 6.Bf4 Bg4 7.Qb3, Bologan plays Qd7, which is the main line along with Qc8. That is my repertoire too and the easiest variation for black to learn.
Advance Variation
Bologan’s coverage of the Advance is why I like the book. He only covers Bf5 for black, and not c5, the Botvinnik Carls. He goes into detail on every variation white could choose, including Bd3, a bad sideline almost no books cover. By no fault of his, the advance repertoire for black is difficult to study. That’s because so many theory-heavy variations have come up in the last 30 or so years, that both sides need great engine-assisted prep to navigate them.
Quality of Annotations
They aren’t perfect and they aren’t suited for beginners. In fact, except for a page-long introduction, there is very little text in the book. The moves he did annotate are annotated clearly and well, but not in a way suitable for beginners. Take his explanation of white’s “mistake” 4.Bd3 in the Advance Variation. Against it, black, of course, plays Bf5, and Bologan writes: “Not trying to extract anything from the early exit of the bishop to f5. Unlike many other variations, Black does not have to make superfluous moves on the kingside, which allows him to obtain a comfortable game without great difficulty.” To me that’s clear enough, but I have played over a thousand Bf5 Advance games. For less experienced readers, his annotations would surely be too advanced.
Other Good Repertoire Books for Black
- ELO: 1600
- -
- 1800
- Opening Repertoire, the Open Games with Black
- Martin Lokander
- ELO: 2000
- -
- 2200+
- Grandmaster Repertoire: The Classical Slav
- Boris Avrukh
- ELO: 2000
- -
- 2200
- A complete Opening Repertoire for Black after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6! 2, Ragozin & Anti-Catalan
- Dariusz Swiercz
- ELO: 1600
- -
- 1800
- Play 1e4 e5! A complete repertoire for Black in the Open Games
- Nigel Davies
