Sicilian or Caro-Kann

Which would you prefer, Sicilian defence (1. e4 c5) or Caro_Kann (1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5)

I´d prefer Sicilian, as black, as white I take what I can get.

both, i play those two before. Sicilian gives me some kind of a open position, while caro-kann gives me the other way..But now i play 1....e5 against 1.e4 but sometimes i used french, caro-kann or sicilian in prefered play...

It depends on your playing style, really. The Caro-Kann is for positional players, and is only recommended to people with good engame skills. You're much likely to have to grind down an endgame after the Caro-Kann, than win in the middle game through a mating attack, or a combination for example. Usually, the Caro-Kann leads to closed positions, and is a good drawing weapon against higher rated players.

The Sicilian represents exactly the opposite: sharp, tactical, open play, where good calculation power is called for, rather than positional feel. Of course, your positional play is important in the sicilian too (Karpov plays sicilians as well, for example), but it isn't of utmost importance, as it is in the Caro-Kann.

I, for one, am a regular Caro-Kann players, and only play the Sicilian (particularily Scheveningen and Najdorf variations) when I need to win.

They are very different responses to e4.  Playing the Sicilian is (generally) like meeting white's sword strike with your own sword, while playing the Caro-Kann is (generally) like meeting white's slash with your shield. Experiment with both and decide which one you like. Only you can decide which suits your temperament, needs, etc. better.

    The Caro-Kann.  This that any good?  I would say Black has many more variations to choose from in the Sicilian, whereas it is White who dictates the way things will go in the Caro-Kann.  White also has more trappy lines vs the Caro-Kann.

I definitely prefer sicilian (I used to be a sicilian player) Caro Kann is very calm, while Sicilian leads o all sorts of wild play, especially in the Yusupov variation.

silician hands down, but i prefer open positions.

Caro-Kann all the way. I rarely ever play the Sicilian anymore. It's a great opening, but not to my taste.

i prefer the caro-kann.

If you really want to find out...

If you want to learn to play the Caro-Kann and memorize the moves by heart join Caro-Kann lovers. There we discuss the Caro-Kann through the forums and play team matches and vote chess. During team matches we play the Caro-Kann. If you have any questions contact me!

We are playing a game against the sicilian and we rule!

CARO-KANN RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sicilian sucks!

^

They're wrong!!!

I prefer the sicilian defense because it is wild and tactical and fun every game. I play the dragon variation, and I love the intense sharpness of every game.

i like the caro-kann

I prefer the Caro, but then I prefer quiet positional games.  It plays a lot like a French without the bad bishop.  But the French is a little sharper, so that is what I try to play right now.

The Sicilian is good, don't get me wrong - I just don't like the kind of positions which I get with Black from it, and with White I run a King's Indian Attack when I see it... too many beatings at its hands.

Let's see...I hate closed or tight or cramped positions...I'm really really horrible at the endgame...and I can't even stand the idea of opening with a pawn moving only one step forward...

Not that it matters to you, but sorry Ozzie.  lol.

On Chess Mentor I had to do problems using logic to do the openings on Ruy Lopez, French, Queen's Gambit Declined, King's Gambit Accepted, Sicilian, and Caro--Kann.    I think I scored the lowest on Caro-Kann...because none of the subsequent moves made any sense to me. 

Am I weird? I've played both. I really enjoy both! Both are weapons I frequently use at the club and tournament level. I love playing both kinds of positions, at this point, because I respect and enjoy the solidity in position and chances from the Caro-Kann, but also feel the same about the activity and fighting, open games that the Sicilian gives me.

Since the first thing my mentor shoved into my hands was Starting Out: the Caro-Kann, on which I read three times over on a boring bus trip, my knowledge on the theory of it (bar the Advance Variation, which changes frequently) is great. This was a large advantage in many blitz games, but also in over the board games, especially once I began a rigorous study of the endgame and tactics to compliment this knowledge. I play mainly at the club level, so many players get impatient and try to crack the Caro-Kann too early, leaving expoitable weaknesses.

The Sicilian I have read about in articles, a few books, and some online thingamajiggers. I recently began to play it to add more dynamic, fighting openings into my repetoire, to compliment my more stodgy openings. Because I had to play against it frequently, and occasionally pushed the wood or it myself beforehand, I picked up the theory through some weird kind of chess osmosis.

Between the two, I'd say the Caro-Kann for nostalgia purposes. I still have the book sitting right next to me, asking me why I played the Sicilian in my last game (at least I won!).