French Defense or Caro-Kann?

Which one is better?

The June 2017 issue of Chess lists the top twenty openings compiled from a list of 2105 April games where both players were rated over 2400 Elo. One can not take position on this list too seriously because it is greatly influenced by how the openings are grouped. For example, all the Retis are grouped together, while English is separated into 1...c5, 1...e5, etc. Nevertheless, for what it is worth, some of the list entries are: 145 Retis, 102 Caro-Kanns, 92 King's Indians, 90 Nimzo-Indians, 88 declined Queen's Gambits, 86 1 d4 Nf6 sidelines, 85 Slavs, 56 Najdorf Sicilians, 55 1...Nf6 Englishes, 53 1...c5 Englishes, 48 2 Nf3 d6 sideline Sicilians, 45 Semi-Slavs, 42 1 d4 d5 sidelines, 41 Catalans, 40 1...e6 Englishes, 40 1...e5 Englishes, 38 Classical Gruenfelds, 36 Berlin Ruy Lopezes, 35 Taimanov Sicilians, and 33 Dutches. (If previous lists are any indication, the French may have been kept out of the top twenty because of being separated into different variations.)

Sample games can be seen here:

First Steps: The French

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7611.pdf

Opening Repertoire: ...c6

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7673.pdf

I would say this line of the french is better than the caro kann.Only this line

I prefer Caro-Cann for a number of reasons. The main one is, I understand how to play it very well.

 

Seriously though, its advantage over French is:

1. Black doesn't have such issues with developing the c8 bishop.

2. In exchange variations, exchanging a c-pawn for a central pawn is certainly handy.

3. In advancement variations, black can breathe much more easily than in the French advancement variations.

 

 

French has its strengths, but Caro-Cann fits my play style much better.

French is better

I'd played French for years and now I prefer Caro Kann. Basically Caro gives you a better position than French. I would say, if you're a positional player, at least you should try Caro.

Caro player here, Black definitely gets less cramped positions than in the french (this makes the Caro-Kann a lot easier to play if you have no previous experience with it). The french is much sharper IMO and the Caro-Kann gives Black some very solid pawn structures, and your opponents will very rarely win "in style". This doesn't mean the Caro-Kann results in dull positions, there are still ways to get a nice tactical battle (especially if Black castles kingside !).
Another advantage of the Caro-Kann is that Black will have a lot of fun in the endgame (since his pawn structure is usually extremely solid), and you will find that most endgames are effortless wins.
To sum it up, you should at least give the Caro-Kann a serious try (and if you find it too safe, you can always switch to something else).

Well both of them are playable.

Which one you want to play is a matter of taste - look at the positions which result from the openings and decide from there.

Sample Caro Main Line:

Sample French Winaver line:

 

I personally prefer the Caro-Kann to the French for two reasons: 1) I'm able to get my c8-B into action and 2) it has a lot of similarities to the Slav vs 1 d4 or 1c4, so I get a good feel for the possible positions and plans that are possible with both by playing similar openings more often.

I originally played the Slav first, because I was frustrated with getting my c8-B into action from the Queen's Gambit Declined, and supporting the d5-P with ...c6 instead of ...e6 let me get the B to f5 or g4 before I played e6.  The c6-d5-e6 pawn stucture allows a N at d7 to take away White's potential N-outposts at c5 and e5 and that N also supports Black's usual counterattack with ...c5 or ...f6.

 

The problem child is a problem, wherever it occurs. It may be the inherent property of Black's QB. But, we would be worse off without it, I think, as if it gets out it is quite useful.

 

Completely agree with all these points, especially the "sharper" part. In French, the position for blacks can deteriorate very fast due to one inaccuracy, since white has a lot of options to squeeze black's position and black has to react with very precise moves to created threats. Caro-Cann is much less punishing in this regard, and you are unlikely to get into a serious trouble after a slight positional miscalculation.

 

At the same time, when black manages to weave an attack in French, that attack usually ends up much more devastating than in Caro, as white's space advantage turns against him, as the uncontrolled squares are being taken over by black pieces.

 

Both openings are very well developed and require a deep theoretical knowledge to be played effectively, but I think Caro is a safer and a more positional opening, while French is richer in terms of tactics and attacking/counterattacking opportunities.

I do not play the French or the Caro-Kann, but I have studied a little about the French.  Personally, I believe the key difference between the Caro-Kann and the French is that in the Caro-Kann black gets to develop his light squared bishop outside his own pawn chain to a place that is a lot more active than a hemmed in c8 bishop in the French.  Of course if white opts for the exchange variation white will have the opportunity to develop his own light squared bishop on that diagonal before black can, therefore, it is not a full proof plan to be able to develop their light squared bishop to a more active square in the Caro-Kann simply because there exists a variation where White can get his bishop to that diagonal first.  The French and the Caro-Kann are two chapters in "the openings I would one day like to explore" however, they are far on the back of the list, simply because I do not like those openings.  I would prefer a more direct route, but that is just me.  To each their own.

 

There may be other reasons why to choose one over the other however since I do not know much about either opening I would have to say this is the extent of my knowledge of the subject, which obviously isn't very much, sorry.

 

How come you don't like two openings which you never studied, or understood?

Both of them are fairly direct: They aim at taking a stake at the center with ...d5, and taking back with a pawn at that square. Could it be more direct than that?

This is actually a common theme in life. People often dislike things that they don't understand or are ignorant about, but they may change their minds when they finally learn enough about them and understand.

Jobava seems to like both. I prefer the caro over the french myself, but that's just because I don't have to deal with the drawish exchange french.

I'm not saying it's absolutely reasonable, but just that it doesn't surprise me