My Caro-Kann by GM Pavel Eljanov Review

We cannot give a buy-or-skip verdict, because nobody here has taken this course and TheChessWorld's page could not be opened. What we can say is that the $99 Parts 1-2 are only half of a four-part repertoire and cover only the Advance Variation, so they will not answer White's other tries. Modern Chess sells each part at 49 EUR on pages we could read, so compare the two before paying. If you want a whole repertoire in one purchase, our best Caro-Kann courses comparison has better fits, such as Rosell's two-volume set.

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Test depth: Public information only. Nobody at ChessCourseFinder has taken this course. This page is based on Modern Chess's course pages, read on 8 November 2026, and a TheChessWorld search listing; we could not open TheChessWorld's product page directly. How we review explains the limits.

This review has no star score. Fit, price and limits are set out instead, and how reviews are made is public.

What each seller shows

As shown in search listings on 8 November 2026, TheChessWorld sells "My Caro-Kann Parts 1-2 with GM Pavel Eljanov" as a digital download for $99.00, says it focuses on the Advance Variation, calls it "easy-to-learn, not drowning in deep theory", and says Eljanov played the Caro-Kann at top level for 10 years or more. Parts 1 and 2 are also listed separately there.

Modern Chess publishes much more about a series with the same title and author. Its pages show each of four parts at 49.00 EUR, with PGN, a "Memory Booster" and interactive tests listed. We cannot say whether TheChessWorld's product is identical to Modern Chess's, whether it is licensed, or whether its Parts 1-2 equal Modern Chess's Parts 1-2. Treat the map below as a description of Modern Chess's series.

What the four parts cover

Modern Chess's course pages give this breakdown. Running times are the figures in each page's byline, which differ slightly from the titles on Parts 1 to 3 (see the price section). Part 4's page returned HTTP 429 when we rechecked it on 8 November 2026, so its row comes from an earlier read and could not be re-confirmed.

Parts 1 and 2 are a complete answer to one thing, the Advance, and Modern Chess says so: "Together with Part 1, the current database presents a full repertoire against the Advance Variation."

What Parts 1-2 leave you without

They leave out every White system that does not begin 2.d4 d5 3.e5. Lichess's Caro-Kann page, read on 8 November 2026 with default filters, showed these second moves for White: 2.d4 in 42% of games, 2.Nf3 in 30%, 2.Nc3 in 9%, 2.Bc4 in 7%, 2.f4 in 4% and 2.d3 in 3%. So 58% of those games did not start with 2.d4, and 2.d4 itself leads to the Classical, Exchange and Fantasy as well as the Advance. These are Lichess games, some of which transpose, and they are not a forecast of your opponents. Still, buying only Parts 1-2 means that you have no material from this course against the replies you may meet most often. Part 3's last chapter says it deals with the minor alternatives on move 2, which is where 2.Bc4 and 2.f4 would have to sit, though neither is named on the page.

The "not drowning in deep theory" claim

It is half true on the seller's own evidence. Modern Chess's Part 1 page says of Eljanov's suggestion 6...a5!? against the Short System, that "There is almost no theory in this position", and that the move had been played only 20 times at the time. So little of it is established theory. The same page also says the positions after 4.Nd2 e6 5.Nb3 are "extremely complicated from strategical point of view".

Low theory and easy are different things. A rare move has few games to learn from, but you are on your own sooner. Part 2 then asks you to know concrete replies such as 4.g4 Be4 and 4.h4 h5, with gambit lines in which precise answers are needed, and Part 4's main line relies on the 4...Nf6 5.Nxf6 exf6 structure, which accepts doubled f-pawns. The repertoire is original and ambitious, but a club player wanting a simple, ideas-only Caro-Kann should not assume that this is it.

Is $99 a good price for Parts 1-2?

Compare it with what Modern Chess charges, and watch the currency. Parts 1 and 2 at 49.00 EUR each come to 98.00 EUR on 8 November 2026. We have not converted currency, because we did not check a rate, so compare the two in your own currency at checkout. The Modern Chess page we read showed a site-wide sale banner with a countdown, for a different product (1.d4 for Black), so re-check the price when you buy.

Calculated from the listed figures, and applying the $99 only if TheChessWorld's product matches:

• Parts 1-2: 1h 44m + 2h 9m = 3h 53m (3.88 hours). 98 EUR / 3.88 is about 25.24 EUR per listed hour, and $99 / 3.88 is about $25.49.
• All four parts: 9h 12m (9.2 hours) for 196 EUR, about 21.30 EUR per listed hour.
• For scale, Rosell's two-volume ChessBase set is €69.90 for 8h 42m (two volumes at 4h 21m each; its delivery text also says "approx. 4-8 hrs"), about €8.03 per hour, and Dreev's Part 1 is 79.00 EUR for 6h 26m, about €12.28 per hour.

Cost per hour says nothing about quality, and Eljanov's course is a compact grandmaster repertoire. Listed time is also not study time. Part 1's title says 1h 45m, Part 2's says 2h 15m and Part 3's says 2h 40m, slightly different from the bylines.

Check these before paying

1. Decide whether you are buying a whole repertoire. If so, price Parts 1-4, not Parts 1-2.
2. On TheChessWorld's page, look for chapter names such as "6...a5" and "4.h4 h5" to see whether the content matches Modern Chess's.
3. Check whether the download includes PGN files, and whether it includes the bonus lecture on typical structures that Modern Chess lists with Part 1.
4. Find out whether you get Memory Booster and interactive tests, or only video. Modern Chess lists them; the store listing says digital download.
5. Use Modern Chess's "Introduction and Free Preview", marked Free on each course page, before buying from either seller.
6. Find the refund terms. We could not obtain them for either seller.

Who it might suit, and who should skip it

It may suit a Caro-Kann player who meets the Advance often, likes original ideas such as 6...a5 and 4.h4 h5, and already has answers to the other systems. Skip it if you are looking for your first complete Caro-Kann repertoire and intend to buy only Parts 1-2, if you want well-trodden main lines backed by many games, or if you want a published refund route.

The free route

Start with the free preview on Modern Chess. Lichess studies and practice let you build your own Caro-Kann files and see what White plays against you, and the Lichess opening page lets you check how often each reply occurs at your speed and rating. These do not give you a grandmaster's repertoire choices.

Better-documented alternatives

Caro-Kann According to Dreev - Part 1 shows 79.00 EUR and 6h 26m, with a chapter count, on a page we could read. Our best Caro-Kann courses page compares the field, and the Schekachikhin course is a much cheaper listing on the same store. For a single large purchase, see the L'Ami Caro-Kann review.

What the seller's pages do not tell you

• How little of the repertoire Parts 1-2 contain. Modern Chess does say the series has four parts, but the excerpts we saw of the store listing did not mention Parts 3 and 4, and the full coverage only appears when you read across all four Modern Chess pages.
• Whether TheChessWorld's course matches Modern Chess's, and what you get with the download.
• The repertoire's real character: rare ideas such as 6...a5 and doubled f-pawns in the main line, which a "not drowning in deep theory" label does not convey.
• TheChessWorld's refund terms. Read the product page and any policy before paying. Our TheChessWorld Academy review covers the store itself.

If you decide to look, here is the TheChessWorld product page. Confirm the price and terms there.