Just for fun - Ranking black’s responses to 1. e4

By soundness:

1...e5

1...c5

1...e6

1...c6

1...d6

1...Nc6

1...d5

1...g6

1...g5

1...Nf6

1...a6

1...h6

1...b6

1...Nh6

1...Na6

1...a5

1...h5

1...f6

1...b5

1...f5

Personal Preference: 1...e6!, the rest don't matter!

g6 lower than Nc6?

Absolutely. White's best line in the Nimzowitsch isn't even all that great with both sides having to play somewhat reserved to avoid drastic counterplay, but in the Modern, White can just attack attack attack with almost no fear of repercussion if you know the right lines, same with the Pirc.

For the record, my list goes:

1... e5
1... c5
1... e6
1... c6
1... Nc6
1... d5
1... a6
1... g6
1... d6
1... Nf6
1... h6
1... b6
1... a5
1... Na6
1... Nh6
1... h5
1... f6
1... f5
1... b5
1... g5

My preference

1. c5

2. e5

3. c6

4. e6

5. d5

The rest does not matter. 5 choices more than I can chew.

mh

1. c5 - i do not play the sicilian, but come on, we know it's spicy, tense and complicated. Imagine that in professional level chess : )

2. c6 - it's just really sound. i play the caro-kann most of the times. It's hard to lose control of the positions and it's easy for your opponent to make a silly mistake and lose! (i think the most interesting weapons against the caro till 2000 elo are gambits).

3. e5 - since ever i'm disgusted by this reply move. i hate that the theory here is so well know and the positions that arrive from this are mostly boring for me (says the one who plays d5 all the time )

4. e6 - i have trauma with this opening, me in my 1200's did not know how to play this. with adequate play it should work, but i dislike black's passivity in most of the positions that arrive from this opening.

the rest are kinda unsound (i mean that black is, almost always, in a worse opening position).

Ranking by how cool and awesome they are
1. e6 - i don't have trauma with this opening, Me in my 1200's knew how to play this. With adequate play, It worked, And i like black's passivity in most of the positions that arrive from this opening.
2. g6 - i don't have trauma with this opening, Me in my 1200's knew how to play this. With adequate play, It worked, And i like black's passivity in most of the positions that arrive from this opening.
3. Nc6 - i don't have trauma with this opening, Me in my 1200's knew how to play this. With adequate play, It worked, And i like black's passivity in most of the positions that arrive from this opening.
4. c5 - i have trauma with this opening, me in my 1200's did not know how to play this. with adequate play it should work
5. c6 - i have trauma with this opening, me in my 1200's did not know how to play this. with adequate play it should work
6. e5 - i have trauma with this opening, me in my 1200's did not know how to play this. with adequate play it should work
7. d5 - i have trauma with this opening, me in my 1200's did not know how to play this. with adequate play it should work

My personal preference:

1) Sicilian

Lots of opportunities to imbalance the game and fight for a decisive outcome. Though Black sometimes falls on his own sword. More on the risky end. For players who care more about dynamism than safety.

2) Caro-Kann or French

Both of these are solid and dynamic, with different kinds of structures for Black to aim for, depending on mood and preference. These are good for defensive/counter-punching players who like to have a nice balance between safety and risk.

3) e5

Solid and direct, Black claims an equal footing from the get-go, with an eye for maximum development and mobility. I'd say this is more on the safe end than the other options. Black isn't worried about symmetry or dryness - he just wants to fight head-to-head on even ground, to see who's the better player.

4) ... all the others.

Currently

1. ...d5

The Center Counter Defense (also known as the Scandinavian.) Is serving me pretty well currently.

Tier 1: e5 and Najdorf

Tier 2: Caro-Kann, French and many Sicilians besides the Najdorf.

Tier 3: Pirc/Modern, Scandi, Philidor

Tier 4: Aljechin etc. some are even worse and would belong to Tier 5 or lower like the the Owens defense

Are you people being serious right now?

1...d5 isn’t sound!

That trash can move is like worst possible move Black can play in response to 1.e4.

Even the Scandy Fan Boys know the line is Hot trash!

IM John has admitted to it and he is one of the biggest influencers of the trash can line.

People on this thread are trolling!

People have Scandy in top 5 moves? What??

The Scandy should be at the bottom of list.

Even computer engines call the move mistake in the opening that’s pretty bad when even engine knows!

bro scandi's ideas are very sound, its just one tempo slower than other options, no drawbacks except for that

You have been lied too.

I can’t believe you let the Scandy players con you into thinking it is sound. The line is so bad. 
It is the worst move you can make on the board.

reread my message. The ideas are sound, it IS a fact. The opening is slightly unsound on the highest level because of the tempo advantage white gets. That's all there is. Also, if scandi is the worst move you can make, why does it have higher win rate than 1.f6?

let's go fellow scandi players

for me, controlling the opening (to stay along lines I know) is more important than being down a tempo

The Scandinavian actually holds, even at the engine level (with Stockfish vs. LC0, for example, it's generally a draw).

A lot of players think, "Nc3 and White wins a tempo on the Black queen! Hah!"

But chess is more complex than that.

For starters, the knight isn't ideally placed on c3, where it blocks the useful c-pawn. White would much rather have his pawns on c4 and d4, side by side, where they fight for the most central space - instead of having a lone d-pawn in the center and his c-pawn stuck on its home square, not participating in the game.

This gives Black the luxury of placing a bind on the d5 square (with pawns on c6 and e6, for example, in the future). If White ever wants to fight for control of the d5 square, he'll have to move his c3 knight again, to give his c-pawn room to advance - thus admitting that his knight was misplaced in the first place, and thus "returning the tempo" ...

Chess is complicated.

No point in arguing with Scandy Players.

They will defend their Trash opening to the bitter end.

Even 1...f6 is better vs. 1...d5.

1...f6 doesn’t lose a tempo!

Scandy players just like moving their queens lots and it is sound but not very