Advance Variation, Short Variation

The Short Variation answers the main-line 3...Bf5 of the Advance Caro-Kann with 4. Nf3. It takes its name from the English grandmaster Nigel Short, who popularized it, and it was a frequent guest in 1990s practice. Rather than chasing the bishop with pawns, as in the Bayonet Attack (4. g4), the Tal Variation (4. h4) or the Van der Wiel Attack (4. Nc3 e6 5. g4), White simply develops the kingside, adds a defender to d4 and prepares to castle. It is regarded as more reliable than 4. Bd3, though it sets Black fewer immediate problems than 4. Nc3.

Black almost always replies 4...e6, completing the intended setup with the light-squared bishop already outside the chain and preparing ...c5. The standard continuation is 5. Be2 c5 6. Be3, in which White meets the attack on d4 with pieces rather than pawns: the knight on f3 and the bishop on e3 both bear on the base of the chain, and the king soon goes to the kingside. Black brings the queenside pieces into play and keeps up the pressure on d4, while White tries to hold the e5–d4 wedge and use the extra space behind it. Because neither side has committed to pawn storms, the play is mostly a matter of piece placement and timing the central tension.

Other fourth moves for Black are uncommon. 4...h6 provides the bishop with a retreat square on h7 in case it is later harassed, and 4...c5 strikes at the center at once without first playing ...e6. Engine analysis also rates 4...a6 among the best options, alongside 4...e6 and 4...h6, though it is rarely chosen in practice.

The Short Variation is a well-established line, ranking among the more frequently reached positions in the database. Results are close to level, with White and Black scoring almost identically and draws rare in online play, and the engine gives White only a slight edge. Its appeal lies in sound development and a low-risk structure rather than forcing theory.