Should I learn the Caro-Kann?

Against the insulting and demeaning e4 I first started with the French, then moved up to the Sicilian. Is it worthwhile learning the Caro-Kann? Does it have some advantage over the other openings? I never play e5 because it gives me migraines.

(p. 60)
      Caro-Kann Defence:
1 e4 c6

This defence is motivated by a
desire to secure the good features
of the French (prevention of any
attack on f7) and to avoid the bad
ones (cramped game, especially
(p. 61)
due to the fact that the QB is shut
in). However, it is subject to the
theoretical disadvantage of sup-
porting a centre pawn (d5) not
with another centre pawn (as in
the French) but with a side pawn.
It thus becomes easier for White
to get the upper hand in the centre.
On the whole, it is safer than the
French, but offers fewer opportun-
ities for counterplay.
   After the normal 2 d4 d5 White
has four distinct motifs, the elabor-
ation of which vary a good deal
from their analogues in the
French. They are: maintaining the
tension, attack, simplification, and
setting up the cramping Pawn
chain.

Fine, Reuben. 1989. The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings, Algebraic Edition. New York: Random House, Inc.

Yes! Play the Caro-Kann! I was the same as you, starting with the french. I love the Caro-Kann! It's great!

I still play French.  I like breaking out of the "cramped posistion"  with Huge tactical complications.  The caro-kann has also served me well, but not quite as exciting if you get me.  :)

Why do you find 1. e4 "insulting and demeaning?"

"Best by test."
- Bobby Fischer

As a former French player myself, I'm telling you that switching to the Caro-Kann was the best decision I ever made. Getting the light squared bishop out really gives you more flexibility and uncramps your position, and I find that it gives your position more options to choose from all the while being relatively solid and possessing few weaknesses which your opponent can exploit.

You should definitely try and see if you like it! 

1...e5 is both the most solid and most instructive way to meet 1. e4 for a learning player, in my opinion. 1...c6 was what I played from about 1100-1400, and it served me okay, but A) the Advance Variation is very hard to play for black IMO, and B) in the other lines, you have to give up the center, which cedes white a legitimate opening edge, although it's hard to do much with that edge once you get it. In my post-Caro days, I have learned 1...e5 and it has never disappointed me. The only thing I can think of is that some lines of 1...e5 (Four Knights comes to mind, along with some lines of the Italian) are hard to play for a win against lower-rated players, but then that's a problem with the Caro, too.

I play the sicilian dragon and I think my victories as black far outweigh my victories with white.  Someone with an account could probably check that to verify though I can't be sure.

Took a look at your stats. You haven't played that much and mostly blitz where you have 52% win rate with white and 41% with black.

I think the carokann is great in that you get a huge variety of positions, and each one is pretty complex and interesting. That might make it hard for you to play in the short term, but it's good in the long term. That quote from the book in 1989 was a couple decades to early to see the new push to play the carokann in a more dynamic style. Just follow the games of Ding Liren if you want to see some high level carokann action.

I personally went from 1300 to 2200 with it. It's served me well and led to some really tactical fighting games, but I still have a lot to learn about it.

Really good point. Also @hapless you probably should just choose an opening to stick with and start playing it without study, while spending your time learning tactics and strategy. Focusing too much on openings is another good way to keep your rating from rising.

If you don't like 1. e4 then you don't "need" to know any Black responses to it other than the ones you are going to play yourself.

I started going up in rating more as I stated playing different openings..

Wilbert_78 wrote:

Took a look at your stats. You haven't played that much and mostly blitz where you have 52% win rate with white and 41% with black.

Not really. The majority of my time is spent on slow chess, and my rating has been slowly but steadily going up. I use rapid to kill time, mess around with openings, try to improve pattern recognition, and learn humility.

In slow chess I do better with black.

As white I avoid e4 because it is cruel, demeaning, and flaccid.

hapless guy

As Rogue King indicates the CaroKann is a very good opening and does not have to be dull at all. Also, lower level players should stick to one [or a small number] of openings at first.

 But if you have an attidude that you avoid a main line because "it is cruel, demeaning, and flaccid" then other people cannot help you much.

The French is a great opening. Those who find it boring do not understand how to play it well.

Same for the Caro Khan--what Reuben Fine said in 1989 showed a lack of understanding of the Caro Khan. Chess has progressed.

If you are a low rated player, it will hurt to often switch openings and not know one or two well.

I love the Caro-kann. That's all i gotta say.

Play what you enjoy.

BTW, I'm joking about the moral qualities of various openings. People rant about e4 or other openings. They're all fine with me. Chess players can be a touchy lot.

I like the Caro-Kann because for the most part you can get by just knowing the basic principles of the pawn structures rather than having to learn concrete variations.  Also I find alot of white players at my level have no idea how to play it or they overpress and end up going into a losing endgame.