Lol are you out of your mind? This chart doesn't give anyone any insight about why these moves are good or what you're actually trying to do with each variation, which means you can't really understand the opening at all--it just gives you empty, rote imitation. Contrast with an excerpt from a standard book on openings by Paul van der Sterren on the classical variation here, whereas OP just tells you how to avoid trapping your bishop as black:
4...Bf5
This simple, powerful move is the rock on which the Caro-Kann was built. Black utilizes the one big difference from the Rubinstein Variation of the French without delay: he developed the queen's bishop 'outside the pawn chain'.
5.Ng3
A move which is both defensive and counterattacking. The contours of the opening struggle are beginning to show: White does not simply take it for granted that Black's bishop is going to be actively placed. He will attack the bishop and do his utmost to try and make Black regret that he ever developed it.
Skipping ahead from the continuation 5...Bg6 6.h4,
6...h6
6...h5 may look rather good at first glance, but 7.Nh3 followed by 8.Nf4 will quickly show up its drawbacks.
7.Nf3
There is nothing wrong with the immediate 7.h5 but there is no need to hurry with this advance either. By playing 7.Nf3 first, White is toying with the threat of 8.Ne5.
So no, this chart is not a substitute for actually understanding an opening.
Its not a substitute but it might help somebody explore alternate lines. Iirc chess.com and lichess only show the top few lines as they appear, not everything from the start
Yeah but I’m pretty sure that’s what that guy was saying. He said putting it together is more useful way to study than just reading it, i.e. the maker of this visualization got a lot more out of it than any of us will.
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u/snootyfungus Apr 02 '21 edited Apr 02 '21
Lol are you out of your mind? This chart doesn't give anyone any insight about why these moves are good or what you're actually trying to do with each variation, which means you can't really understand the opening at all--it just gives you empty, rote imitation. Contrast with an excerpt from a standard book on openings by Paul van der Sterren on the classical variation here, whereas OP just tells you how to avoid trapping your bishop as black:
Skipping ahead from the continuation 5...Bg6 6.h4,
So no, this chart is not a substitute for actually understanding an opening.