Defence Against e4

I am looking for a nice, solid, easy to learn defence against e4. I have tried the French and the Caro-Kann but they were all got hard to play. I was thinking about the Scandinavian. I don't like 1. e5. Can anyone recommend a good one?

Originally posted by I Falco I
I am looking for a nice, solid, easy to learn defence against e4. I have tried the French and the Caro-Kann but they were all got hard to play. I was thinking about the Scandinavian. I don't like 1. e5. Can anyone recommend a good one?

I would recomend the sicilian defence Najdorf variation.

I will look in to the Sicilian, but it requires a lot of studying and it has a lot of theory.

try the center counter defense.its d-5 bring out the knght for black.

Originally posted by I Falco I
I will look in to the Sicilian, but it requires a lot of studying and it has a lot of theory.

1...d5 is simpler.

Not what I would play, but not so many variations.

Originally posted by I Falco I
I will look in to the Sicilian, but it requires a lot of studying and it has a lot of theory.

Well you wanted a good defence against e4 and I gave you one and it isn't that hard to play after you play it a couple of times. just make sure you play unrated games with it first.

I also tried the Sicilian dragon before but I always found that my opponent's kingside attack would always be faster than my queenside attack. This was in blitz games though, so I didn't have much time to think. I will give the Najdorf a try.

The most popular alternative to 1...e5 is 1...c5 The Sicillian Defence.

You could also try, 1 e4 d5 2exd5 c6 dxc6 Nxc6, it trades a pawn for quicker development.

You could also try the Pirc Defence, 1.e4 d6... usually contiuing 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 with black fianchetoing to support the e-5 square 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Bd3 Nc6

Really, each opening is geared towards a certain method of controlling the board or controlling the pace of play, and in a beginner level it is hard to understand that, so it is better to focus on tactics until you better understand the principals of chess.

you could try the robatsch defense, ive never used it but it's different than e5 so it may be what you're lookin for. GL

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Nf3 c6

Originally posted by TEXASmade
you could try the robatsch defense, ive never used it but it's different than e5 so it may be what you're lookin for. GL

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Nf3 c6

It's essentially the pirc though.

I think I struggled in the same way the first poster is. I wanted an opening that's not too open, but doesn't force black to play on the queenside to counter white's kingside attack. I think I've settled on the french. But I'd also look into the a system called the Lion. It's rare, but offers black the chance to actually attack on the kingside against 1. e4. I can't find the site, but ask User 63905 about it.

Here's a site on the Lion System:

http://www.vanrekom.nl/thelion/indexgb.htm

It seems interesting, but it should suit only the more strategically minded. Probably not for beginners, but for some reason it's hard to get the idea that a game is never won in a well played opening of any kind into a novice's head.

i know your trying to learn an opening that is easy but all openings have their lumps and bumps. there are no easy openings to learn because theres so many different variations. pick an opening that you like and study the hell out of it. if you want an attacking one pick the sicicilian i love this one theres attacking chances on both sides. maybe a gambit opening would be easier to learn than a opening like the ruy lopez or something like that because most of the moves dont vary much.

as a pure sicilian player, i would have to agree with some other ppl here and say that the sicilian najdorf is a good, safe choice.

Originally posted by kmac27
[b]i know your trying to learn an opening that is easy but all openings have their lumps and bumps. there are no easy openings to learn because theres so many different variations.

It's true. Even if you pick an opening and buy a chunky book dedicated to it, your opponent will often deviate from its lines within 6 moves! As someone with a very poor memory I find this comforting. In general, studying tactics (chess puzzles) will equip you better.
"How to build your opening repertoire" by Steve Giddins is good though. 🙂

sicilian is for queers

whoever came up with the names najdorf and dragon deserves a roundhouse kick in the balls, if they even have any

1 ...b6