Theoretical relationship between Caro-Kann exchange and Queen's Gambit exchange Is there a book, or an article, which examines the relationship between these two openings? The Caro-Kann exchange (non-Panov) is 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5, and the Queen's Gambit exchange is 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.cxd5 exd5.

The positions are identical except for who is on move. I know that the Caro-Kann exchange is not considered critical, and I know that the Queen's Gambit exchange (via that particular move order, i.e. without 3.Nc3 Nf6) is also not considered critical.

But does anybody know of a serious discussion of these two openings, which on the surface seem nearly identical?
Soltis' Pawn Structure Chess is a good book which treats all the common pawn structures that arise from popular openings. Its focus truly is on the pawn structures themselves and typical plans associated with them, rather than on the particular opening move-orders by which they arise. And the structure described in your question is treated in section "C. The Orthodox Exchange Formation," located in the chapter devoted to the Queen's Gambit family of structures. Soltis writes:


  Kmoch named [this formation] after the exchange systems (cxd5 / ... exd5) in the orthodox (read "normal") variation of the Q.G.D. It also occurs with colors reversed in the Caro-Kann (1 e4 c6  2 d4 d5  3 exd5 cxd5  4 c3 and ... e6) and some rarer openings.


The Kmoch reference here is to the book Pawn Power in Chess, which also gives a short account of this structure, in the form of annotations to the game R.Byrne-Eliskases (1952). Kmoch has further discussion of this structure in his chapter on pawns and rooks; see pp. 100-103 of the Dover edition.