When White Plays 2.Nf3 — Dreev's Complete Black Repertoire
The Caro-Kann player's dilemma: you prepare the heavy 2.d4 lines, sharpen your Classical structures, and then White plays 2.Nf3. Not because they fear your preparation — because they want a different kind of fight. Flexible systems, low on immediate theory, high on practical venom. These are positions White chooses when they want practical play over theoretical duels.
"Dreev Deep Caro-Kann" answers that challenge directly. GM Alexey Dreev and GM Pier Luigi Basso built this course around the two systems White actually plays nowadays: the Two Knights (2.Nf3 and 3.Nc3) and the modern 3.d3 endgame line, the setup that started gaining serious traction after Santos Ruiz–Ivanchuk in 2019. These aren't sideline curiosities. They're practical choices at every level, and they demand specific treatment.
The Repertoire — What You're Getting
The structure is built on precision and clarity. Against 2.Nf3 and 3.Nc3, Black plays the modern 3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6, provoking White's queen forward and creating immediate central tension. Against 3.d3, Dreev goes straight into the endgame with 3...dxe4 4.dxe4 Qxd1+ 5.Kxd1 Nf6. The resulting positions reward understanding over memorization.
The variation map covers both branches systematically:
Two Knights (2.Nf3 3.Nc3) — Chapters 1–5:
- 1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Qe2 Nxe4 6.Qxe4 Nd7 7.Bc4 Nf6 8.Ne5 e6
- 9.Qf4 b5! → Chapter 1 (precise and forcing, avoiding 9...Bd6)
- 9.Qe2 b5 10.Bd3 Qc7 → Chapter 2 (the critical mainline)
- 9.Qe2 b5 10.Bb3 Qb6!? → Chapter 3 (Dreev's recommendation, sidestepping heavy theory)
- 7.d4 Nf6 8.Qe2 g6 → Chapter 4 (reliable setup with ...Bf5 to follow)
- 5.Ng3 / 5.Nxf6+ / 5.d3 → Chapter 5 (all White sidelines)
3.d3 Modern Endgame — Chapters 6–9:
- 1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.d3 dxe4 4.dxe4 Qxd1+ 5.Kxd1 Nf6
- 6.Nbd2 → Chapter 7 (most popular, preparing Ne1 and Nd3)
- 6.Nfd2 g6 → Chapter 8 (Carlsen/Nepomniachtchi choice; Dreev uses 6...g6 from his own classical games)
- 6.Nc3 Nbd7 → Chapter 9 (less common; Black aims for ...Nc5 with comfortable play)
Course Structure
- 9 Chapters
- 20 test positions
- Memory Booster
- To Go Version of every chapter
- Video instruction
- Multilingual PGN availability (English, German, French, Spanish)
This course is part of Dreev's Caro-Kann According to Dreev series. The systems are different, but the structural logic remains consistent — precise moves, practical understanding, and positions that reward calculation over memorization.