A good Chess System for Beginners?

"... The Black Lion [(by van Rekom and Jansen)] is aimed at aggressive players from 1600-2200 who ..."

http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Black-Lion-The-p3563.htm

"... A CUNNING CHESS OPENING FOR BLACK ... is aimed chiefly at players rated 1800-2300 who …"

http://www.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Cunning-Chess-Opening-for-Black-A-76p3899.htm

"... The analysis [(in THE PHILIDOR FILES)] is copious, and is too much for players under 1800. …"

http://www.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Philidor-Files-The-76p3838.htm

Perhaps worthwhile to consider what books are appropriate for someone with an ~1000 rating. Some book samples can be seen at:

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9051.pdf

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9008.pdf

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9035.pdf

OP said that he was interested in learning the Black Lion and the London System.  I addressed his expressed interest by providing him with information relating to some of the better resources available on the topics.

And I felt that it was perhaps worthwhile to consider what books are appropriate for someone with an ~1000 rating.

I considered it.  And decided to let the OP make that determination for himself.

And I decided that it was perhaps worthwhile to address the issue in a post (providing EdibleAnimals with information that might help with making a determination).

I think Russ Bell makes some very worthwhile suggestions.  

Another idea could be the Hippo.  But I'm not sure it's suitable for beginners.

There is no single opening or defense that is going to be the "be all and end all" panacea for every scenario you will encounter or requirement that you can dream up.  There is no "best" chess opening.  Pretty much any of the mainstream openings and defenses are playable, else no player with Master in their title would ever venture them.  I have previously given you some, what I believe are reasonable choices for openings, including "system" openings.

Your problem is not with the openings you are playing, it is that you are not yet a "good" chess player.  That is, your lack of understanding of, and skill with, basic, fundamental chess principles.  Sorry to be so blunt, but the first step toward improving your chess is to come to grips with this truth and understand that the road to improvement does not lie in finding a magic chess opening that will make you a better player.  It doesn't happen that way.

The truth be told, at this stage of your development (beginner), in terms of the opening, you need to focus primarily on learning chess opening principles, with less focus on specific openings.  An excellent book for learning chess opening principles is "Discovering Chess Openings" by John Emms.  It is concerned specifically with teaching fundamental opening principles.  It is not a manual treating any specific chess opening(s).  I highly recommend it for you.  If that doesn't appeal to you, then perhaps peruse some of the resources here which should also help in this regard....

Chess Openings Resources for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/openings-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond

If you want additional suggestions for specific openings, I recommend to peruse this list...

Good Chess Openings Books For Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-openings-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

In terms of improving your fundamental chess knowledge and skills, check out some of the suggestions and resources here...

Improving Your Chess - Resources for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/improving-your-chess-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond

Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

At this point there is not much more I can do for you.  I have provided you with some good information, suggestions and resources, which could help you improve. 

I wish you good luck!

Did you even read my post?

Did EdibleAnimals write anything indicating a presumption

of the existence of a best opening?

of the existence of an unplayable mainstream opening?

of having only one problem?

of skill with basic, fundamental chess principles?

of the existence of a magic chess opening that would make EdibleAnimals a better player?

I don't know how much EdibleAnimals wants to focus on openings. My impression is of someone who wanted to facilitate tactics study by adopting a quick temporary solution to the problem of playing the opening. It is only natural to experiment with various suggestions and write about the experience here. I agree that there is no single opening or defense that is going to be the "be all and end all" panacea for every scenario that EdibleAnimals will encounter, and indeed it seems to me that EdibleAnimals was coming around to the realization of the advantage of learning about more than one opening. I think it is agreed that an ~1000 player is likely to have problems that an opening will not solve, but it is perhaps worth noting that some openings seem to be regarded as more suitable for an ~1000 player than others. I mentioned the Seirawan suggestion because it seemed to me to be possibly suitable for an ~1000 player and close to what EdibleAnimals wanted. I also mentioned the IM Watson warning about that sort of thing.

"... For true beginners, the King's Indian Attack and Colle System have the benefit of offering a safe position that nearly guarantees passage to some kind of playable middlegame; they may be a reasonable alternative if other openings are too intimidating. But having gained even a small amount of experience, you really should switch to more open and less automatic play. ..." - IM John Watson

I agree with the suggestion of the book, Discovering Chess Openings. The last chapter discusses some lines for 15 specific openings.

Opening Principles:

1. Control the center squares – d4-e4-d5-e5.
2. Develop your minor pieces toward the center – piece activity is the key. Centralized piece control more squares.
3. (King Safety)
4. Connect your rooks. There should be no pieces between your Rooks.

The objective of development is about improving the value of your pieces by increasing the importance of their roles (Piece Activity).  Well-developed pieces have more fire-power than undeveloped pieces and they do more in helping you gain control.

Now we will look at 5 practical things you can do to help you achieve your development objective.

They are:

1. Give priority to your least active pieces.

• Which piece needs to be developed (which piece is the least active)?
• Where should it go (where can its role be maximized)?

2. Exchange your least active pieces for your opponent’s active pieces.
3. Restrict the development of your opponent’s pieces.
4. Neutralize your opponent’s best piece.
5. Secure strong squares for your pieces.

Don’t help your opponent develop.

There are 2 common mistakes whereby you will simply be helping your opponent to develop:

1. Making a weak threat that can easily be blocked
2. Making an exchange that helps your opponent to develop a piece

I understand  this is a common theme with beginners.  We all want ti be "aggressive", "tactical", and play like our favorite GM.  But like the saying goes: "You have to learn to crawl before you can walk"  And you're trying to sprint before you can even crawl. 

You need to learn to do the following before worrying about being "tactical"

1.  Follow Opening Principles.

2. Not hanging material.

3. Not missing simple tactics.

It is very tempting to try to find something quick in an attempt to get opening study temporarily out of the way, in order to be able to focus on other matters. If you still want to go for that, I continue to think that your best chance is with the suggestions at the end of Seirawan's book, Winning Chess Openings.

https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-openings

Other books try to present systems, but they generally have a target audience somewhat above the ~1000 level. The system approach is often discouraged for near-beginners. See, for example, the IM Watson quote. The idea seems to be to accept openings as something that one learns, a little bit at a time. One could perhaps start with Disovering Chess Openings, and maybe go on to the sequel, First Steps 1 e4 e5.

"... For beginning players, [Discovering Chess Openings] will offer an opportunity to start out on the right foot and really get a feel for what is happening on the board. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7790.pdf

https://chesscafe.com/book-reviews/first-steps-1-e4-e5-by-john-emms/

"... In order to maximize the benefits of [theory and practice], these two should be approached in a balanced manner. ... Play as many slow games (60 5 or preferably slower) as possible, ... The other side of improvement is theory. ... This can be reading books, taking lessons, watching videos, doing problems on software, etc. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627084053/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman19.pdf

"... The way I suggest you study this book is to play through the main games once, relatively quickly, and then start playing the variation in actual games. Playing an opening in real games is of vital importance - without this kind of live practice it is impossible to get a 'feel' for the kind of game it leads to. There is time enough later for involvement with the details, after playing your games it is good to look up the line. ..." - GM Nigel Davies (2005)

We all do. If only something like that existed!

Did you really intend to advise EdibleAnimals to stop following opening principles? Anyway, where did EdibleAnimals write anything about being aggressive or playing like a favorite GM? Is there really anything wrong with wanting to avoid "less tactical potential"? Is there anything wrong with hoping for a tactical middlegame when choosing an opening?

"... When you first begin serious competition, play sharp openings so that you can strengthen your tactics. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2002)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627052239/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman16.pdf

No thanks for me? By the way, for many of us, while studying tactics (and engaging in other related activities), there is gradual improvement on the hanging-piece and simple-tactic problems.