The Caro-Kann Revisited - A Complete Repertoire for Black: A Complete Repertoire for Black
Brand: Thinkers Publishing
Judging the amount of theory required to play an opening is not an exact science, but it is quite clear that the Caro-Kann will be an easier opening to pick up from scratch than any Sicilian. The amount of theory is probably more comparable to a 1…e5 repertoire, depending on which variations one chooses to play.
As I mentioned earlier, the Caro-Kann is not played as frequently as 1…e5 and 1…c5. Further, the Caro-Kann comes in various flavors and can be adopted either as a mainstay or surprise weapon, due to these diverse options Black has.
Chess players always need to make some concessions in the opening, but this point is the hardest to tackle for any chess player (for good reason). I believe that the Caro-Kann is very playable, and that it is White who needs to find fresh ideas to trouble Black. Opening theory will evolve well beyond this book, but the Caro-Kann will remain a viable opening.
Last but not least, the Caro-Kann is a pretty good choice if you are looking to avoid simple draws or major simplifications since it rarely leads to forcing variations.