Lazy Openings

What kind of opening can you play with black against e4 that doesn't require lots of preparation? I currently play e5 in response, but for tournaments I find there is too much prep to do. So is there any defence that doesn't need lots of work put into it?

How about the petroff or Philidor defense.

I play the Scandinavian 1. e4 d5. White's best move is 2. exd5 but I also come up against 2. e5 pretty often, after which I play the obvious and good c5. After 2. exd5 there are two branches either 2... Qxd5 or 2... Nf6 which is what I play, and this is frequently a gambit line (most common move at the lower levels against the Nf6 Scandinavian is 3. c4 trying to hold the extra pawn, then 3... c6 4. dxc6 (not the best move but that's what I see most often) Nxc6 and white banks the extra pawn but the position is supposed to be good for black due to superior development and white's backward d pawn). Pick one of those two and then yeah, still plenty of theory to learn to really play it well but your opponents probably don't know the Scandinavian theory either.

i agree scandinavian is a good stuff, requires less theory than most defence and is a very sound one!

I would prefer Qxd5 and Qa5 instead of Nxd5 though.

The true "lazy" variation in the Scandinavian must be 3...Qd8, but 3...Qa5 is a more active choice while still not requiring a ton of knowledge (not to mention there's pretty much only one pawn structure to familiarize yourself with)

Yes. The Scandinavian Defense is a great choice. Why not make this route to your solution even more powerful? Get the inside information about the increasing popular, GM tested, Gubinsky-Melts Variation (3...Qd6). How?

Join us at http://www.chess.com/groups/view/scandinavian-defense-3qd6-variation