So yesterday I was banging my head against this Caro-Kann defense nonsense in Lichess again. Couldn’t win for days, man. Absolutely wrecked my mood. Finally thought, screw it, maybe watch a pro handling this mess.
Why Yaakobishvili?
Remembered this Georgian dude Áron Yaakobishvili popped up before. Solid positional player, not flashy. Perfect. Hopped onto that free Lichess game archive thingy right away.
The Digging Begins
Started scrolling. Man, took forever. Ended up finding a few rated games where he played Black against the Caro-Kann Advance setup – my personal nightmare. Focused on those.
Things I looked out for:
- How he dealt with that pawn on e5 push right in his face.
- Where he put his knights early – always tricky.
- His bishops, man. Those sneaky long-range pieces.
- When he went for counter-punches instead of just sitting back.
The “Lightbulb” Move
Okay, one game was sick. Opponent pushes pawns like crazy, trying to squash him early. Yaakobishvili? Cool as ice. Got his pieces tucked away nice and cozy, no panic. Then BAM! Outta nowhere, this knight hop to c4 or something? Forks a rook and a bishop! Pure filth. Opponent crumbled right there.
Slapped my head. Why didn’t I see that knight jump? Always get tunnel vision pushing pawns myself. He just chilled, developed, waited for the perfect moment to stab. Masterclass.
Trying It Myself (Spoiler: Still Messed Up)
Hopped into a rapid game last night, buzzing from that find. Tried to mimic his calm setup. Managed a decent position, felt good… then got too cocky. Went for my knight fork a move too early. Whiffed. Lost tempo. Got crushed. Classic me.
The Takeaway (Besides Shame)
- Patience isn’t optional, it’s mandatory.
- That knight spot is golden once the center pawns clash.
- Developing pieces quietly pays off big time later.
- I still suck at spotting forks under pressure.
Anyway, Yaakobishvili’s style? Simple chess done brutally well. Need more of that. Less headbanging, more watching masters wait for their shot. Practice tonight, wish me luck. Probably still gonna blunder.