Hi, I've allways up till now replied with 1...e5 on 1.e4 but I'm thinking it's time to switch it up.

The only defence I know I'm not interested in is Caro-kann, I've played against it a few times and it allways promises a boring game.

Other than that I haven't got a clue, The Alekhine seems interesting, so does the (maybe slightly) dodgy Nimzowitsch defence, The French is looking really interesting. Same goes for Sicilian, modern and maybe even Scandinavian.

Give me some of your opinions on the various ideas that black has available after 1.e4. Which one is your favorite, and why?

my favourite is the latvian (e4 e5 nf3 f5!?) because its very sharp and you have to know tactics, otherwise you will loose with it!

i would still play e5, but maybe learn the french

French and the Caro are fairly solid - I like the French because it usually gives my opponent hard decisions to make. Downside of the French is that the Queenside Bishop is hard to develope (unless you're playing the exchange).

The Dragon is an interesting option, as well as the Scandinavian.

i just created a thread saying that i enjoy the sicilian: modern variation (1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6). i find that it does apply good pressure on the middle. bringing your knight to c6, pawn to e6 and/or possibly a bishop fianchetto on g7 gives black a good game.

if white plays bishop to f4 (which happens often) it does give black good attacks.

i've tried the french but i just don't like the cramped/closed positions you can reach (if no exchange).

caro can get pretty difficult i find. i haven't used the dragon enough to have a good feel for it.

Against 1.e4 I prefer the  Scandinavian Defence.After exd5 you have the option of either playing Nf6, or Qxd5. I also use the Sicilian defence Nimzowitsch variation. And the Nimzowitsch defence 1.e4 Nc6 is perfectly sound, it's not dodgy at all far from it in fact.

Please do say which versions of the Kann you find boring and I will show you which variations you need to start playnig to spice it up ;)

If you like to attack play the sicillian Dragon, please note that at your level you need to know a ton of theory so procede with caution. I play the Najdorf now, but I haven't had enough games with it to get an oppinion. The Scandinavian is underated.

I like the Scandinavian. But only after 2...Nf6. White usually attempts to hold onto the pawn (most people arent aware that the mainline is 3.d5) and then the games can get really fun. Minor piece placement, I find, is very important, rather than most games where "pawns are the soul of the game."

the caro kann is not boring

try "play the caro kann" by Jovanka Housaka

It has many lines that often lead to sharp positions.  

I've mostly encountered the main line 4... Bf5 line where I eventually after chasing the bishop away some exchanges it for my own.

play the gxf6 variation of the caro. That gets pretty wild sometimes

Try the french.  GM Neil McDonald has a great book on the French (as well as many others!).  I used to hate to face it but now enjoy to play the French against 1.e4 (though I am still learning)!

RainbowRising, aren't you just hanging back for a while in the Kann, making a stodgy fortress? How do you spice that up?

i think you will love the petrov

Or the exf6 variation, which should be more open than the main line but less crazy than gxf6.

If you want something other than ...e5, it probably just comes down to whether you're looking for an aggressive, unbalanced response (Sicilian) or a somewhat more solid, slower response (French, Caro-Kann).  These are the main options, but less popular options like the Scandinavian or Alekhine's defense should be fine as well.

It would probably be easier to get a good recommendation if you mention what kind of games you enjoy. Or you could always just try some out against a computer or in a casual setting and see if you like the types of games that arise out of the opening.

Well, as white I prefer if we can go into a Ruy Lopez, with it's myriad of exciting ideas, plans and positions. However I'm not equally fond of going into it as black though.

I like openings where I have some definite ideas to play around and become familiar with. I'm not purelly strategical nor tactical (but at my level I try to get practice on both, mainly tactical still though), I'm not to fond of completely closed positions. But I don't disslike them to the extreme that I would avoid an opening just because there's a chance it becomes a closed game.

personally, i prefer to play the caro-kann when i dont play e5 (which isnt too often) i never play the French as i loathe the cramped positions that arise when there is no exchange. I'd go with the Caro, even if you dont like  it.

I believe the mainline is c4, but 3.d4(not d5) leads to a good Anderson's Attack (I think that's what it's called) for white.