Easiest answer to d4

I usually answer with d5. Then what? Should I learn the semi Slav (or perhaps Slav?) what is the easiest way to handle (as black) white's d4 opening? Stwils. (I always open with e4 as white.)

Lame answer:  you have to try a bunch of lines and figure it out for yourself...it largely has to do with personal preference.  At our level theory is somewhat less important.  Most of our opponents deviate before any cutting edge mainline stuff would come into play. 

More interesting answer: I have tried lots of stuff, and like the mainline slav and Queen's Gambit Declined.

Although the mainline Slav allows a good player to get a draw somewhat more easily if he's so inclined via the exchange variation, you get equal space and esay development.  If white wants to get an advantage he has to ruin his pawn structure to do it, giving you endgame odds.  Check Vigus' book from Everyman.  Play the Slav

Next up Queen's Gambit Declined.  Awesome, Sound, Great History, employed by every world champion, and even the Exchange Variation with Nge2 isn't as scary as we thought anymore.  ALso great books on it, MacDonald Starting Out: Queen's Gambit Declined, Chris Ward: Play the Queen's Gambit, John Cox: Declining the Queen's Gambit.  Cox's book also covers the Catalan, bonus!  These are in ascending order of difficulty and theoretical content.  Sadlers book is excellent too, great for ideas and history, maybe start there, it's a little outdated.  If you like Descriptive Notation, Chess from Morphy to Botvinnik by Imre Konig has a really great chapter on the Queen's Gambit Declined's History, and also all the other 'Center' Openings like the Ruy Lopez, but not the Slav, it's really outdated. But awesome.  Also, Queen's Gambit Declined works against English and Reti, double bonus!

Then there's Nimzo-Indian Queen's Indian systems...these are fantastic 'Cadillac' Openings, but they cede space in the center early. In exchange they create imbalances early to create a winnable game for blackin every variation if he chooses, while still being solid.  There's a lot more to learn here than the other examples, but they might be the best choice.  You have to find out for yourself. 

EDIT: Ward's book is an opening book for white.  Sorry!

Got to be the Tarrasch.  Bone up on IQP's, and you have all the strategy you need against better players.

Against anyone who avoids the exchanging and mainlines, you aim for...

...and just play chess without any real worries about forcing mainlines.  (Maybe the bishop goes to e7 instead, depending on specific variations and your own preferences.)

My problem with the Tarrasch is that white can kingside finchetto and force exchanges, and has a better game.  It's not a hard strategy to implement, and then black is struggling with this weak IQP...I don't know.  It's pretty good if white doesn't know what he's doing, and you don't need to know much to play it well, but I thought it gave white too easy a plan. If you are really great at tactics that arise in IQP positions then go for it, but I was just stumped against the aforementioned white setup.

Yeah, if white plays the mainline ten moves deep with the kingside fianchetto, he's going to come out of the opening +/=.  And if he's master level, the positional nuances definitely favor the white player at that point.

But those same positions should be plenty good enough for the black player who's familiar with them, especially since they still have a ton of thematic sameness from game to game.

So practically speaking, black is going to be = against everyone except REALLY top level guys.  And the OP isn't facing them anyway, or he wouldn't be asking this question.

The real perk is that against everyone who doesn't play and understand the mainlines, the Tarrasch is super simple to play as black, and stays very consistent in terms of themes and structures from game to game.  It's a legitimately great practical weapon anywhere sub 2000.

That's why I think it's an excellent answer to the question "easiest answer to d4?"

Against Kramnik?  Yeah, the QGD is safer.  Against everyone else?  They're probably about the same...except the Tarrasch is a lot easier to play and runs zero risk of turning out too passive.

MacDonald, Ward, Cox and Vigus are repetoire books for black, Konig and Sadler are on the Opening in general.

I have to agree with your post, but I have one other facet to the equation that might add levity to my opinion which is:  if the OP is playing a lot of correspondence the game allows for the opponent to use databases and opening books, so he very well could be facing 10+ moves of theory, although at 1600 level (like myself and the OP) probably not 20+...

Also, although it's a pretty strong generalization, correspondence games allow players to find pretty outstanding defensive resources that they wouldn't be able to find over the board or on live chess, which blunts some of the more tactical lines considerably.  In short, there is a reason some openings are seen exclusively in blitz, other openings are more popular OTB, and some are rarely seen outside of correspondence. In  my opinion, it makes the most sense to learn openings at an intermediate level that are just as effective in a wide range of time controls.  That's not to say they aren't good, but it's disheartening when you favorite opening doesn't seem to work as well in one or two of these situations.  However, Kasparov did play the Tarrasch, I just found that playing it myself made it painfully obvious that I am not Kasparov.  If stronger players continue to recommend it, the OP should probably heed their advice over mine.  I can only speak for myself, as I am in a similar situation as the OP, and I can't recommend the Tarrasch.  Just the opinion of an intermediate player, for what it's worth.

Edit: Ward's book is an opening book for white.  Sorry!

You make really good points, Matt.  Thanks for sharing your thoughts.  I certainly wouldn't try to talk anyone who was interested in taking up the QGD out of it.  Great defense that will last a lifetime.

Good luck with it, stwils!

dankeschön

You might find this article useful: http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_instrctn_bgnrs/120603_crt_easy_op_rep_bk.html

From time to time and with some success, I have been experimenting with 1. ...b6 against almost anything. I think it is fairly easy to play and not as bad as you might think. IM Andrew Martin has a few very interesting Youtube clips on the opening. There used to be an eBook on a suggested "b-formula opening system" (1. b4 as white and 1. ...b6 as black) which was kind of neat. The fairly recent youtube clips does offer some improvements, I think. 

If you like 1...b6 do you play the English Defense?

I do not know enough theory to know what to call my b6-adventures. Some lines seems to easly transpose.

Quiet, unorthodox openings like ...b6 that give white almost complete freedom to do as he wishes in the opening are among the easiest ways to get through the opening without any major blunders.  But they set up middle games that are among the hardest to play, unless you're very good both positionally and tactically.

As such, they make it a lot easier to avoid making stupid mistakes against players who aren't as good as you.  But they make it a lot harder to play the middle game against players who are on your level, and very, very difficult against players who are better.

Recently the Chigorin Defense (1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6) has grown on me - it isn't as strong as the standard QGD or QGA in theory and on the computer, but I've taken quite some full points with it as Black.

Hey SchachMatt

Thanks for the book recommendations, you've got me googling these books now.

Are you sure that Chris Ward's book - "Play the Queen's Gambit" is a repertoire book for Black? From my googling it looks like a repertoire book for White.

use the benoni!its one of the sharpist defenses to 1.d4

That is most definitely a book for white.  I've got it on my shelf.