Defense to e4 - Minimal Opening Theory

I need a solid defence to 1. e4 which cannot transpose in to many lines and requires minimal opening theory.

I have tried the French and Sicilian defenses but they need lots of opening knowledge and go in to different lines.

If someone could provide a solution I would be grateful.

Thanks in advance.

I found the Caro-Kann decently theory-light.

This has been quite useful.  It seems every game starts 1. e4 followed by e5.  Snooze.

I play the Caro Kann. 

But in the past have had success with the scandinavian defence Qd6 line.  It's pretty rare to see and turns the scandinavian defence on it's head into a dynamic positional system -- very surprising for most opponents.

I also like the sicilian hyperaccellerated dragon.  It requires much less theory than most sicilian variations, and is very thematic.  The only thing to watch out for is that white can make you play a very slow and somewhat cramped game by playing c4 (the maroczy bind), however if this is something you are comfortable with, it is no threat.

Play the Hippo! The hippo system is an elastic formation which requires VERY minimal opening theory and is even fun to play. Just set up your formation and eventually play something like a ...c5 or ...f5 pawn break and blow up his center. Although it could transpose into other openings (but that happens very rarely since when do you see an opening for black which has a similar formation?) you don't even really need to know the theory to that. Another nice thing about the Hippo is that you can play this against almost ANYTHING and it can be reached through many different move orders. Go Hippo!

The scandinavian is a sound and light system which is reasonable easily learned.

My concern with the Scandinavian is that black can lose tempo from the beginning and the games are usually open - which doesn't suit my closed playing style.

The Caro-Kann appears to be good and I would appreciate if someone could provide more information. One concern is that it looks fairly complex - is there anyway I can avoid the many lines and deviations?

For the record, as white I play d4 and stick to just the QGD and Trompowsky. A similarly small number of lines is what I am trying to achieve with defenses against e4.

Thank you for the replies.

If you want a closed, theory light e5 defense, the French and the Caro-Kann are pretty much your two options.

Although, I guess you could try a hedgehog formation if you wanna go really theory light.

The problem is that as White, you have some leeway, you can play something simple and it'll still be equal. As Black, especially against the most aggressive move 1.e4, you are under pressure.

Also, 1.e4 is the most popular, and the question of whether black can neutralize it is one of the big open questions of chess. Basically, a defence to 1.e4 either has a huge amount of theory, or there is something wrong with it.

But, that only matters if you are losing games due to not knowing enough theory, and that is rather rare at your level.

I would suggest you pick one of the big four -- e5, c5, e6, c6. And then stick to it. You might even pick up some theory on the way.

Some trainers say that below 2000, you should play ...e5, then below 2400 ...e6, and from then on the Sicilian. But that is of course too rigid :-)

Also, how do you manage to stick to the QGD as white after 1.d4 d5?

You still need to know a fair bit of theory when you play the Caro-Kann, but it is certainly not mind-boggling whereas most popular defences are very complicated, and it offers you a good game with very good chances of equality or more where you can simply play your own chess whereas most offbeat defences will definitely have you at a disadvantage if your opponent knows what he's doing.

The best thing about the Caro-Kann is how good a job it can do at not offering white any points of attack at all. Lots of players who encounter the caro-kann don't know how to attack the black position simply because it is so solid. They go down a wrong path and end up losing badly.

People who dislike the caro-kann say that it is "boring" and "drawish". This is true, but only if you only like incisive, complicated, attacking games. It is entirely up to white to make the game exciting. If black wants to be sure to have a tactical game he is better off trying a different opening.
The "drawish" claim is also only true for those who want complicated tactical chess. The Caro-Kann is one of the only defences that guarantees an imbalance in the pawn-structures and that by definition means that you can play for a win, even into the endgame.
Players who think the game will end by a draw anyway when they enter a caro-kann endgame are often very much mistaken and end up playing carelessly and losing.

As mentioned the Caro is not theory light, neither is the French. Anything having been a major part of a World Champion's repatoire will not theory light. In fact, one could say, any "normal" reply to 1. e4 has tons of theory.  There is less with "nonnormal" lines but generally there is a reason they aren't normally played. 

No matter which opening you pick there will be theory and you need to learn it or stick to correspondence play with a good database.  You can stick to openings that restrict White's choices and in that case you are mostly looking at Alekhine, Caro-Kann, French, Scandinavian. 

Alekhine's defense

Well, I have been reading up a bit.  Caro-Cann this quote is attached:

"In the Scandinavian and French Defenses, Black attacks the e4 pawn with the d5 pawn.  The drawback to the Scandinavian is that the Queen is brought out too quickly, whereas  in the French Defense, Black suffers from a camped c8-bishop.  The Caro-Kann Defense intends to attack the e4-pawn without these disadvantages"

Not sure this is true since I never have tried it.  But the e4 opening is beginning to be a bit boring.

I have seen this opening I almost every game I have been a member here less than two weeks.  1. e4 e5   d5 does what, hang the pawn?

I think when people say "theory light" in talking about the Caro, they aren't saying that there isn't a lot of theory but that the theory isn't critical.

For example in the yugoslav or marshall knowing the theory is very critical as there is only one set of playable moves and they aren't exactly intuitive.  One misstep can wreck you.

But in the caro, beyond the first four or so moves, you can play it pretty passibly by ear.  Of course the theory is there, but you can play a good game of chess without it.

The French and the Caro-Kann are low on theory compared to their counterparts. Particularly the French.

here is an intresting line that you really dont need to know any theory for...

1.e4 e5 Nf3 Qe7!? your opponent will not know how to respond and by the 8th your the position is surprisngly equal and you could look ahead and find some hidden traps in the opening :D

If white plays the Panov-Botvinnik Attack against the Caro and black doesn't know the theory he will be lost shortly. 

This is true for pretty much any opening..