Which opening should I use when playing black?

Question

I have been playing chess for half a year, and I am trying to find a good opening for black. Someone suggested the French, but I didn't like it very much. One person said I should use the Caro-kann the other said I should try the sicilian dragon. Which one would be better?

Answer 1

Picking a defence is kind of like picking clothes off the rack. It's hard to know if it's right for you until you try it on.

It's hard to recommend an opening without knowing what kind of player you are. If you love open games with lots of tactics then the Dragon would be your choice.

If you prefer a slower strategic struggle then the Caro-kann might be better.

But remember that there are also wild variations in the Caro-kann and sleepy variations in the Dragon. You should try out different openings until you find one that gives you positions you enjoy playing. That's one of the good things about chess programs, you can try out these defences without someone smiling smugly from the other side of the board.

Good luck!

Answer 2

if you've only been playing half a year than you should play easy systems at least until your more experienced.  The pirc is always a good choice at any level.  One thing you should stay away from is any kind of sicilian for now , because it is played so much and there is so much theory built up on it that it is easy to get lost in all the different lines.

Answer 3

Against e4? I play the French myself, and the Caro-kann, However there are SEVERAL to choose from.  

You could meet e4, with e5, and prepare to meet obscenely common Ruy Lopez, or switch things up with a Philidor's defense.

You could use Alekhines defense.

there is d5, the center counter-game.

Nc6, the Nimzowitch defense.

The hilarious, Barnes defense f6. *not recommended* however with accurate play it can yield surprisingly decent results.

And as far as the Caro-kann versus the Sicilian. number 1 player Garry Kasparov, former world champion, uses the Sicilian defense, commonly the Scheveningen Variation, because it has almost no draw backs, and is very solid.

And Anatoly Karpov, Kasparov's greatest Rival, and also Former world champion uses the Ultra Solid Caro-kann defense. Caro-kann can get quite tactical and hairy occasionally. however if you study the variations it will be just fine.

I personally am using the French Defense over the Caro-kann as of right now. I recently made the switch.