How To Build Your Perfect Opening Repertoire With Black

In my previous article, I discussed how to build a strong opening repertoire with the white pieces. Now, we will figure out the even harder challenge of getting a good game as Black.

• What To Play Against 1.e4
• What To Play Against 1.d4
• What To Play Against 1.Nf3 and 1.c4
• Combinations Of The Openings
• Final Words

What To Play Against 1.e4

First, you want to answer the question: Do you want to play to safely equalize, or try to take over in a sharp struggle? If you choose the latter, there will be some risks, but the rewards are also greater. 

(Ed. note: As in the previous article, there is a diagram with additional commentary at the bottom of each section.)

The Positional Choices

Open Game (1.e4 e5): This might have been your very first opening when you learned chess, but it's very solid. You're fighting for the center and have good prospects to develop your pieces. After the traditional 2.Nf3 Nc6, White typically chooses between the Ruy Lopez with 3.Bb5 or the Italian Game with 3.Bc4. There are many good setups for Black; the Berlin endgame with 3.Bb5 Nf6 has a very good reputation. The Four Knights Game is generally harmless and the Vienna with 2.Nc3 can be met with 2…Nf6 3.f4 d5, and Black is doing great.

Caro-Kann (1.e4 c6):  Many chess professionals choose this to avoid any pawn structure symmetries, but you will have headaches if White constantly plays the Advance Variation with 3.e5, when it's difficult for Black to improvise.

French Defense (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5): I'm not entirely sure in which category to put this one, but Black can get a positional game most of the time. The critical attempt for White is 3.Nc3, when you can attempt to equalize with 3…dxe4 and …Nd7-Ngf6 to follow. The French Defense can also be your sharp weapon—unless White decides to play 2.exd5.

The Fighting Choices

Any Sicilian Defense (1.e4 c5): White typically plays 2.Nf3 and the most popular setups for Black are Sicilian Najdorf with 2…d6, Sicilian Sveshnikov/Rossolimo with 2…Nc6 and Sicilian Kan/Taimanov with 2…e6. They often invite White to create imbalances, but be ready for Anti-Sicilians. The Closed Sicilian for White doesn't rank well, but the trends are changing quickly.

The Scandinavian Defense (1.e4 d5): This is often the perfect weapon to terrorize White at the club level, but at the pro level, it's considered to be a risky choice if employed as the main continuation.

Pirc or Modern Defense (1.e4 d6 or 1…g6): Black often gives up the center, but then attempts to undermine it. Very often, players from White's perspective simply don't know what to do with their space advantage.

What To Play Against 1.d4 With Black

Similarly to 1.e4, you want to decide whether to play positionally or risk a little.

The Positional Choices

Queen's Gambit Declined (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6). This is a very popular setup from Black's perspective. You avoid symmetrical pawn structures and are aiming for a healthy development with moves like Nf6, Be7, 0-0, Nbd7, etc. This can be combined with an occasional Queen's Gambit Accepted with …dxc4, attempting to spice things up. 

The Slav and Semi-Slav have always have been serious choices for Black. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6, if White plays 4.Nc3, then you can play 4…dxc4 or 4…e6, switching to Semi-Slav. After 4.e3, 4...Bf5 is very popular, and you can add some variety with 4…Bg4 or 4…a6. There is one problem though: White can play an early cxd5, leading to a completely symmetrical position, which is why some players avoid the Slav.

Queen's Indian or Nimzo Indian (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6): The reputation is that Black is completely fine in the Nimzo after 3.Nc3 Bb4, and so White typically plays 3.Nf3 at the pro level. Against that move, Black can switch to a Queen's Gambit with 3...d5, or enter the Queen's Indian with 3...b6. 

The Fighting Choices

The King's Indian Defense (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6) has always been a very popular choice for Black, and the plans are easy to learn, but it's becoming less and less popular at the pro level. The reason is that the engines favor White's significant space advantage.

Tarrasch Setups (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6, planning …c5 next). For this, you're happy to play with an IQP (isolated queen's pawn) structure. The Tarrasch has a good reputation, but it's only for the dynamic players.

The Dutch Defense (1.d4 f5) is considered to be a risky choice, but White has no outright way to punish it. Black often creates positional imbalances and provokes White to hostilities. The sharper continuation is the Leningrad Dutch with …g6 and the more positional approach is Classical Dutch with …e6. For an ambitious player, it makes sense to master both.

The Modern Benoni (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 3.Nc3 exd5 4.cxd5 d6, with …g6 etc.): There are not so many players around who play it regularly, but the late super-GM Vugar Gashimov used to play it a lot, even against the elite. There are players who keep the Benoni as an option if White doesn't play the best setup. For example, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 (where White avoids the Queen's Indian) 3…c5 4.d5, now White is playing a relatively harmless Modern Benoni setup.

Benko Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5): According to the engines, Black doesn't even have the slightest compensation for the sacrificed pawn, so the Benko is non-existent at the pro level. At the club level, White might have difficulties proving the advantage, and Black's game often is quite straightforward.

What To Play Against 1.Nf3 and 1.c4

If you're looking for an easy way out against these moves, you can play the same setup that you've chosen against 1.d4. The most universal response is …d5 and …e6, depending on the move order, but this can run you into the King's Indian Attack. However, I believe that the most principled approach is to meet the English opening 1.c4 with 1…e5, essentially reaching Reversed Sicilian.

As for the Reti, some of the most popular responses against 1.Nf3 involve the Slav approach—1…d5, 2.g3 Bg4, developing your pieces with …c6, …e6, …Nbd7, and only then deciding what to do with the kingside knight. A quite popular continuation recently after 2.g3 is 2…Nbd7 with an idea to push …e5, which forces White to go 3.d4. Then, after 3…Nb6, Black has rather simple development, while also slowing down White's plan to push c4. At the professional level, one of the most annoying setups that White can face is 2…g6, inviting White to go to the symmetrical Grunfeld—a perfect choice for those who practice the defense.

Combinations Of The Openings

At club level and with lower ratings, it makes a lot of sense to choose openings that have the same pawn structure as your repertoire, perhaps even mirroring the other color, as it will be easier for you to master the middlegame plans. Here are some typical examples:

• London System as White; as Black, Caro-Kann or Scandinavian Defense against 1.e4, Slav Defense against 1.d4, and 2…Bg4 with …c6 against the Reti.
• Colle System as White; Semi-Slav as Black.
• English Opening as White; Sicilian Defense as Black.
• King's Indian Attack as White; as Black, King's Indian Defense against 1.d4, Pirc Defense against 1.e4,.
• English Opening as White, fianchettoing the bishop to g2; Benko Gambit, Modern Benoni, or Benoni Defense with the …e5 push (not committing to …e5 before White castles short) as Black.
• If you're a 1.d4 player and like to fianchetto your light-squared bishop on g2, it makes sense to choose continuations in different setups that involve the maneuver for more familiarity.

The stronger you are, the more versatile you'll be with your choices—instead of mirroring the variations, you can play completely unrelated systems if it brings you results.

Final Words

Please don't forget that this is only the opening phase; however, having a strong start will set the right tone for your games. When it comes to the middlegame, as I already described in my study guide, the best practices often are quite vague, so the best you can do is to study as many model games as possible and keep analyzing your played games, even if you lost them, and study middlegame as per topic described in the guide. Don't lose your faith if you can't feel any progress – if you want to quit, remember, why you started it in the first place. Happy hunting!