2.Nc3 is OK here. too.

Possible is the 3.e5, the Advance Variation. Also 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4, the Panov-Botvinnik Attack. I quite like playing, in response to 4...Nf6 5.c5, the Gunderam Line, which tries to make capital out of White's Q-side majority.

classical main line

The f7-square is not so weak, now, but the move may prove useful, all the same.

I think 6. h4 is most often played here. Then something like 6...h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 etc. and Black has moved the bishop three times before exchanging it off.

Black can consider himself blessed if he can get out of the opening without being forced to create a pawn weakness on the king side.

6. h4 is the best move here

Bd3 is a sound move, but a little too passive for my taste,

Bd3 just loses a tempo.

Black better does it, because after the sequence Ne5 - NxB, fxB, Qe3, black's kinside becomes very weak. But there is an option for black: Ne7. In order to play this move, the priority is not to block the own dsb. So black has to think in Bd6, or look for b6 with Bb4+, c3, Ba5 - but this loses a tempo. If then white plays Ne5, Ne7 would be perfectly good for black. Black cand defend by the Ne5 sequence by attacking, too, with c5, but it doesn't seem good at this point. Finally, Nd7 looks for kicking or exchanging the white's lsb, but white simply has to play Bb3 after Nb6, and for blakc Nd5 is not good, followed by c4.

Black should have played 7...Nd7 preventing Ne5 and threatening to gain tempo on the c4-bishop with ...Nb6 followed by ...Nd5 with a ideal knight for black.

Are you sure? 9. Ne5. Let's say the bishop retreats to h7. Follows Qf3, then Qb3. But white's right, there's not enough firepower to crunch black, not even with the interesting Bxe6. White could have attempted 9. Qe2, instead, threatening at once Bxe6, and if fxe6, Qxe6+. followed by Ne5. And maybe (just maybe) white has "someting".

Usually most main line caro-kanns you would want to castle queenside.

I'd given a serious look at Re1 instead of c3, threatening the sac.

the sac really doesn't do anything yet, so c3 is pretty logical

This often happens with this opening. But experience with it seems to suggest that the LSBs are more valuable to White on the board than off. I have to admit I've never found a satisfactory method of dealing with the problem myself.

I often face this situation myself, and I try not to exchange the bisops. The lsb over e6 can be the "unbalance factor". True is at this point, I normally have another set: the king not caslted, or castled queenside (with extreme care) and a kinside pawn storm is to come soon.

Yes, good for white. But even if he has an edge, there is no inmediate plan or threat to come in the near future. This is what I wanto to avoid, being white. This just gets both players in the "late opening" phase, I wouldn't say it is bad, of course. Observe that the queen now is in a worse position than before, because it can't reach the square where it gives black more pressure: b3 and h5 (is black moves the knight). This is one of the reasons the bishop's exchange is not really so good for white.

I feel like both players were playing for a draw in this game.

Another idea might have been to try 13.f4, hoping for the exchange of Knights at e5.

Re1 and Rd1 were other moves. Nc5, that controls d6, doesn't work because of b5, and neither does Bc4 because of g5. I like f4. White has to react, or the game will turn against himself. The text move concedes black the initiative, since castling is not needed right now.