Advice vs E4

I have played chess for years and quit playing for a time after becoming frustrated with the complexity of tactical shoot outs in kings pawn games. About a year ago I delved back into chess and have been devoted to improving my game. I would like to think some major improvements have been made in my play. I seem to have gotten better in sticking with the queens pawn games as white. They are more positional games and it has been instructional. I am winning more now than losing.

Have become well versed with blacks responses to D4. My responses as black vs d4 have been the Indian systems. Notably nimzo Indian and queens indian have scored myself some long positional crunches and good endgames. I have dabbled with the Benoni, grunfeld, Dutch..... But most recently found myself really enjoying the kings indian... With the grunfeld it is like opening a can of worms in one small miscalculation....I am finding there are some openings that are more forgivable than others. Yet as my vision OTB has improved I am starting to crave a bit more of imbalanced position, fighting chess, tactical precision.

Vs e4 I almost always have played the caro kann...I know the lines quite well and rarely have problems getting a good game....most of the games though don't involve much risk though...karpov loves the CK and it suits his boa constrictor style and I admire his play enormously; however, I would like to ask all who have more experience than I do to chime in with some suggestions on other responses to e4.

I do not need any introductions to openings, I am aware of all major responses to E4 and have played most of them.

essentially a growing player needs to expand his horizons as his game improves. I study and play chess several hours a day and have plenty of time to delve into a new system. I want to become well versed in a new defense to e4 as well as I am with the caro kann. Thanks for any advice!

What kinds of positions do you like to play?

I am game for just about anything. Isolated pawns are fun to work against.

Well it's a lot easier to get isolated pawns yourself rather than to force them on your opponent so I don't think you'll play against many with black other than in the Panov-Botvinnik. 

But since you played open games at some point why not try those? There are lots of ideas and tactical patterns that come from the open games and they're really useful to know. This game I recently won because of ideas I learned from defending 1.e4: http://www.chess.com/forum/view/game-showcase/more-fun-w-queens-gambit-nc6

I would've never thought about such ideas if I hadn't seen many of the tactical patterns that arise from open games. I don't think you can go wrong watching Morphy games since he was very good in the open games and his opponents tended to have defensive issues you can learn from.

I would try 1.e5. It gives you balanced positions where is often becomes a positional battle, and is also a long term investment into your chess (1...e5 is probably the best response to force draws at GM levels).

To a KID fan, I would recommend the French.  In particular, the classical Nf6 in the mainlines.  The bulk of your games will feature similar closed pawn chain structures with an attempted breakthrough on a flank, and chaos and counterattacks should anyone slip up.  Detractors will hem and haw about the exchange being dull, but the KID has the same trouble, as do most openings.  If an opponent wants to steer a  game into simpler waters, it's rarely easy to avoid in the opening.

To a Grunfeld fan, I'd recommend Alekhine's.  These are probably the two openings truest to the spirit of hypermodernism.  Both practically beg the opponent to set up a huge pawn center, then go about undermining it.

FearTheQueen,

I have tried the Bronstein-Larson before...it is a bit different than mainline CK and can be used as a nice surprise weapon from time to time.

if I do play ...e5 that includes having to study more than a few responses.

Spanish, Scotch, King's Gambit, Italian etc...

Can't say I am that much into the French Defense unless it is a blitz game.

I hands down pick the CK over the French if I am wanting to play that sort of game...

I know what I am comfortable with yes...but I am seeking to expand my repertoire. 

Maybe you can try 1...Nf6 or 1...Nc6. They're the only moves left I can think of that you can avoid early tactics with.

I know the situation you are in. I played Caro Kann practically always and I still do sometimes. The problem is that at our sub karpovian levels it is very hard for black to win if white is content with just putting his pieces in normal squares and do nothing. 

I switched to e5 (with Caro Kann as a backup). At first it seems like a lot of theory but really it is not too bad and the good thing is that stuff that is important in the italian is also important in the ruy lopez etc. The motives are all the same. 

I switched with the use of this DVD (http://www.chessbase-shop.com/en/products/5857) it gives a very good basic against all major systems and gambits with exception of the Ruy Lopez. 

For the Ruy Lopez you could go to the Marshall as suggested on another Gustafsson DVD but personally I do not like the Marshall Gambit and I can understand that as a Caro Kann player you also would not like it. I use the Berlin (http://www.amazon.com/The-Berlin-Wall-John-Cox/dp/9185779024) but there are other options to choose from if you like. 

Moonnie, thx for the advice. I did try the Berlin defense and enjoyed it. Although, there is no promise of white will play before you can get a Berlin. That is why I am concerned about knowing these other systems when thou are an e5 player. I spent the entire weekend going over Sicilian theory and it seems like a mine field of traps and one wrong move and your history type of thing. You can see why I love the CK so much. It is a bit of a very comprehensive defense to e4. I will certainly consider your suggestion on e5. Any words for the Sicilian from anyone?

Gypsie, go with the Sicilian.  Statistically it's the most likely to lead to a win for black, and it restricts the options white has a bit by forcing them to fight for every inch that they try to take.  If white isn't careful their knights will be dancing around the board throughout the opening while black develops.  

You don't need lots of theory to play 1...e5. You can use 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7/d6/g6 to bypass the whole Bc4 complex or you can just play the Philidor. 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 will transpose eventually.

In the Ruy you can use 3rd move alternatives.

There are so many defences to the king's gambit (more than any other gambit) that you'd be unlikely not to find one you like.

There are other things like the center game, danish/goring but these are really normal open games that lead to typical positions you can learn from. I really don't know anything past move 5 or 6 anyway. You learn mostly from watching games. But most importantly you're almost guaranteed to get those positions in your games. How often do you expect to see the Marshall gambit? And even Anand is avoiding the Berlin.

I don't really know anything about the sicilian. When I messed with it I played either e6 sicilians or accelerated dragons to avoid the majority of anti-sicilians. As far as I was concerned things like 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 or 2...d6 weren't even options.

Any Pirc fans?

Im a Pirc fan!!

Strangely I've been going with najdorf...used to be afraid to play it but after studying with kasparovs video on the najdorf I feel like my vs e4 games are way more fun these days!

I think e5 is a good alternative because its very solid and positional ( ruy lopez, italian game..). But its very hard to win in those positions so i really start thinking the sicilian is the best way to get complex, positional and dynamic play.Thats just because its the only opening with a huge imbalance of pawn structure etc. But much theory to learn

1e4 ? c5 !

1e4 ? e5 ?