Someone says the caro is better, and then I am sure the caro is for me, and then someone else says the french has many outstanding tricks and I'm conflicted as to which I should choose
There's no wrong answer. Both the French and the Caro-Kann are sound, world-class defenses. Most grandmasters have both of them in their repertoire.
It's just a matter of figuring out which one you enjoy playing more.
Just know one thing:
They're both solid but caro is more solid, french is sharper.
The pawn structures in the french have a more vast diversity.
They're both draw-prone but the French gives more fighting chances.
Caro is mostly a positional grind, french contains a bit of everything
Is good play
For a beginner, play 1...e5. Pretty much no theory to remember. The ideas are simpler for beginners than what you would get with other openings, and the positions are open and generally easier to navigate.
I think you could put it like this:
If you don't know what you're doing in the Caro-Kann, you'll be moving pieces aimlessly and have a worse position.
If you don't know what you're doing in the french however, you will just get crushed very quickly.
Avoid all problems by playing the pirc!
I think you could put it like this:
If you don't know what you're doing in the Caro-Kann, you'll be moving pieces aimlessly and have a worse position.
If you don't know what you're doing in the french however, you will just get crushed very quickly.
Orthoschnapp Gambit... Hehehe
Are there any ways I can learn the openings without paying? I'm not actually an adult so...
Are there any ways I can learn the openings without paying? I'm not actually an adult so...
YouTube...
Are there any ways I can learn the openings without paying? I'm not actually an adult so...
YouTube...
I know THAT, but any channels you can recommend?
Are there any ways I can learn the openings without paying? I'm not actually an adult so...
YouTube...
I know THAT, but any channels you can recommend?
Gothamchess for ideas, Hanging pawns for lines, and agadmator for example games.
Both are quite similar...They have the same idea: Create a solid pawn at d5 to have a stake in the center...The french is more complex & tactical but offers good attacking opportunities...The Caro- Kann is simple & positional with free development but not much attacking opportunities...Both are good...it's up to taste...
I play both, and both have pros and cons. A Caro-Kann player would tell you the French has a problem with the c8 bishop and it's true, but the Caro-Kann also has a problem with the b8 knight. The French is double edged and very sharp and the Caro-Kann is calmer and more solid. It all comes down to the way you wanna play. If you don't wanna lose, use the Caro-Kann. If you want to play for a win since the beginning, play the French.
In terms of theory, I'd say the French is way heavier than the Caro-Kann, more lines to learn. My advice is learn both because you'd be fully covered vs 1.e4 and will have two styles of playing. Let me know if you need more advice.
Good luck.
EDIT: To answer your final questions, which one is better? Both are good. Which one is easier to play and better for beginners? The Caro-Kann. Which one puts more pressure on White? The French.
Thank you, that really explains a lot. I searched on google, but in the end it was just a bunch of forums where there was just fighting. Now that you have cleared most things up for me, I've realized, the french is more my style. The things wavering me away from it are : 1) The fact that the light squared bishop is bad. 2) There is more theory. 3) The Caro - Kann is supposedly better for beginners
You need to change your mentality because all 3 "excuses" are fallacies!
1) Read The Secret Life of Bad Bishops. This will change your perspective completely! Only time they suck is in an endgame against a good knight.
2) There is not MORE theory. There is DIFFERENT theory. French has 3.Nc3 (which you do not have to know "every" line - some play the Winawer, some play the Classical and Steinitz, some play the McCutchen and Steinitz, some play the Burn and Steinitz, and some play the Rubinstein or Fort Knox), 3.Nd2, 3.e5, 3.exd5, and then sidelines like the KIA, Wing Gambit, 2.b3, or 2.Qe2. The Caro-Kann has 3.Nc3, the Panov, the Advance, the Exchange, the Fantasy, and then sidelines like the KIA, Hillbilly Attack (2.Bc4?!), 2.c4, etc.
3) In reality, neither is better for beginners. 1...e5 is best for beginners.
I fully agree with everything that ThrillerFan is saying here.
The bishop being bad hardly ever plays a real factor in the French until you get to an endgame.
I play against the Caro-Kann and I can firmly say that there are a LOT of really good sidelines. Everything mentioned previously, on top of the Gurgenidze System, the Breyer, the Accelerated Panov Toikkanen Gambit, the Two Knights, the Goldman, the Modern, and the transposition to the Slav: Diemer Gamit.
The two common variations in the Caro-Kann are the Mainline (3. Nc3/Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4) and the Advance (3. e5). The two most common in the French are the 3. Nc3 (really wish there was a name for this) and the Tarrasch (3. Nd2). There is approximately the same amount of theory between these two sets of variations. The 3. Nc3 French has the most theory, but as previously stated, you do not need to learn it all, but the Advance Caro-Kann has a lot of new theory (past 10-15 years at the oldest) that you DO need to know as Black. So effectively the theory requirements for both are the same.
I'd recommend 1... e5 to anyone of any level, except that beyond 1600 or so I'd begin recommending it as well as the Sicilian, depending on personal preference. I think that at top level they're about equally as good.
...The french is more complex & tactical but offers good attacking opportunities...The Caro- Kann is simple & positional with free development but not much attacking opportunities...
I'd say they're both complex, both positional, and both offer tactical opportunities, depending on white's attack.
Many top-level players have both the French and the Caro-Kann in their repertoires - as learning each of them can improve your understanding of them both.
Yeah what a guy he is Simon