solid defence against d4 ?

Hi,

well, now I'm looking for a solid opening as Black against 1.d4.
Recenlty I was trying to make Dutch Defence as my weapon,
and I read 2 books roughly and played some games
but totaly the result is not good.
Especially in real-time game, in which I don't have enough time to think,
very often my castled King's fortress gets crashed SOMEHOW.

This is simply because I'm not a good player,
but I think it's partly because Dutch Defence is aggressive but not so solid,
and I've begun to think that Dutch is rather difficult to handle for a not-so-good player like me.

So I'm looking for an opening which I can use rather safely and is not so difficult to handle.
(I know this might be selfish, but I need it )

FYI, I use London System(1.d4 2.Bf4) as White and
French Defence as Black against 1.e4.
and I don't like fianchetto on kingside and castling there because
I don't know how to resist accurately against a kind of 150 attack...

Thank you for reading this,
Shinji

I also play the french as black and also play 1...e6 against d4 . If my opponent plays 2.e4 then I am happy as i transpose into the french . 9 out of 10 times the d4 player will then play the advance french ( in my experience anyway) which i am also happy to meet as it's not whites best set up against the french . If they play 2.c4 then i play the nimzo/bogo indian defenses . They are solid , easy to learn and give you a solid plan for the middlegame , namely controlling the e4 square . If they play something else on the second move..ie 2.Nf3 etc then again play for the e4 square with the support of the fianchettoed queen's bishop...good luck

QGD.  You can even reply to 1.d4 with 1.e6, since you play the French.

In general, you'll reply to most everything other than e4 with the moves d5, e6, Nf6, Be7, and 0-0.

It's not exactly instant fireworks, but it most certainly is solid.

If the last stop on your chess improvement bus is not just one rating class level (breaking 1800 etc. ) away, then I'd recommend you explore the QGD.    

Though let's be clear about your comment. There's a thread of reasoning that goes " I read about opening A. I get thrashed too often. I'm not a good player. The Opening A is aggressive but not solid (?) and I need something solid because not-so-good players can play solid better".

The opening is MERELY a means to get to a playable middlegame with atleast an equal position. There is no silver bullet that's going to cover up any deficiencies in your game.

 You may play the opening like a 2200+ player but after move 4 or  8 (or even 15), you'll be back to playing chess the way your present skills allow you to.

I can assure you that a not-so-good player playing anything is going to get thrashed against strong opposition.  

So you might as well play an easy-to-understand system and explore things such as figuring out pawn structures which will actually "make" you play better.  

So the question to you is => Is the Dutch easy to understand for you?  Do you enjoy the games you're playing? If the answers are No and No, then consider switching. Or else keep working at it.

If do consider the switch and if you're exploring the QGD,  something easy to grasp would be the Lasker system.  Once you've gotten comfortable with that, then consider trying  the Tartakower which has a solid reputation.

Sounds like you're looking for something like the Nimzo-/Queens-Indian complex or the Queen's Gambit Declined. Solid positions, no very sharp lines (at least if YOU don't wanna play them) or opposite castled kings' positions with mutual pawn storm attacks.

Another option would be the Slav or the Semi-Slav, but White can make the game very sharp in these openings if he/she wants to.

I hope i could help you a little bit...

I agree with the Captain. I play the French too, and the two obvious choices are the QGD, and the Nimzo/Bogo/QID complex. I favor the latter.

You've got the added bonus that if you get a reputation as a guy who plays the London, French, and QGD, a lot of opponents may just go ahead and kill themselves rather than play you.  So lots of cheap W's.

I disagree. Computer evaluations will teach you nothing about the opening unless it is a long and forced tactical line. The computer may say you are equal or only slightly worse as black, but really it won't teach you how to properly play that type of position. Databases and annotated GM games, along with good opening books are the way to learn.

Back to the OP. I agree with other posters that the QGD would be a good place to start because it usually isn't razor edged, and because the moves are logical and easy to understand and remember. The dutch is great but you may want to wait until you are comfortable with sharp positions and have a strong tactical back bone before you return to it. Remember to work on your overall game.

well, if you can withstand playing the London system without getting too bored, then QGD should be fine.

yeah play the queens gambit declined, tartakower variation would be a good opening for someone at your level.

According to the Game Explorer the exchange variation accounts for roughly 10 % of QGD games after 1d4 d5 2c4 e6 3Nc3 Nf6....I find this strange to be honest. Most repertoire books and videos for White, that recommend the Queens Gambit, recommend the exchange variation -and this is difficult for Black to cope with...If I thought the exchange was only being played 10% of the time I think I would study the Tartakower...

This is mostly because black players try and avoid the exchange variation by playing Nimzo complexes and only reverting to QGD if Nf3 is played. This is because, in the QGD exchange there is a forced (semi-forced) line that creates a lost endgame for black but if the knight is on f3 it blocks the queen and makes the QGD exchange playable for black.

Thanks for addressing this - I think it an important area....I'm aware of the lines where White develops the knight at e2 rather than f3, and this seems to be the current fashion...in the semiforced line are you thinking of 1d4 d5 2c4 e6 3Nc3 Nf6 4cd ed 5Bg5 c6 6 e3 Bf5 7Qf3   ? that results in the double pawns on f7,f6 ? or are you thinking of something else ?

Thanks Mike.

@Hypocrism I am also interested in your statement "This is because, in the QGD exchange there is a forced (semi-forced) line that creates a lost endgame for black but if the knight is on f3 it blocks the queen and makes the QGD exchange playable for black."

slav is probably perfect for u if you play london system

There is no forced line that creates a lost endgame for black in the QGD Exchange- This only occurs with an early Bf5 from Black. White will play Qf3, Bxf6 and after the exchange of queens, black has a horrid structure. With the Knight on f3, this resource isn't there is what Hypocrism is trying to say I think.

The thing is though, Black is in no way forced to enter this line.

And about playing the London-this may get you through the opening but inevitably, it doesn't really give white chances for a middlegame advantage. Also, the positions that arise from it are pretty dry. I suggest playing something more dynamic like the QG. As white play aggressively and as black play solid if you want.

Btw playing openings like the QGD doesn't mean no crazy pawn storms. In fact,  white CAN castle long in the QG Orthodox and sometimes even the QGD Exchange variation. I, for one, like opposite side castling when im white, especially when the time control is short. Playing passive openings like the London is a crutch. I think you really miss out on playing more aggressively. Kamsky may play it on occasion but he also plays e4 often so for him it may be ok

You'll never contend for the world title playing the London, but as long as you don't aspire to greater than 2500 or so, it can remain your full time opening.  Down side: you won't get as much practical experience playing a variety of positions.  Up side: you'll eventually be a hundred times more familiar with the likely course of action in any given game than your opponent.

Life's a series of tradeoffs.  Don't let the common wisdom discourage you from playing an opening you like.  The common wisdom is mostly written by guys who still believe they can one day hit 2600 and 2700.  For most of us, this is no big deal.

Lots of 2200's out there who've been playing the London and BDG and crap like that their whole lives, and have had an awful lot of fun along the way.

This true to a point.  You can play the London, Colle, Stonewall and be fine but you really shouldn't blindly play these systems against any set up by black.  I play the Colle but not against the fianchetto or an early Bf5/Bg5.  But it's easy top concert to similar set-ups with similar ideas and cover most black responses

mh try the benoni defense or the benko gambit and see how the look to you