Advice for a new black opening against d4
Have you tried the Leningrad Dutch? It’s not really much like the classical. I like it better and it’s sort of universal… sort of.
The Hennig-Schara Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 cxd4) is wide open. It's been bolstered recently, so if both sides play perfectly, black can just about eke out a draw. But in a practical game anything can happen.
Play the Queen's Gambit Accepted, that is most open.
If you are looking for a somewhat open, more tactical game, there is the Grunfeld, but beware! It is personally my most hated opening for many reasons, and if you are under 2200 over the board, you will have problems:
1) There is a TON of theory.
2) Unlike the King's Indian, it is not really a playable open against Flank openings. A King's Indian setup can be played against virtually anything but e4.
3) White has NUMEROUS options and they all lead to completely different pawn structures and you've gotta know them all!
4) One mistake is a death certificate. With say, the QGD, you have far more room for error and still be able to survive.
The Grunfeld best describes what you are looking for, but BEWARE!
indeed. You'll never get anywhere if you keep yourself in a box. There are tons of openings that aren't related to each other but quite possibly fit with your certain type of chess philosophy ( your personal way of playing). For context, my main defenses vs 1. d4 are QGD: Tartakower Variation, QGD: Lasker's Line, and the King's Indian Defense. I probably gave away alot to future opponents but soo what? I know my openings (as black) inside n out. I say these to you in hopes you'd get the gist of what I'm saying. Another thing, your main focus as black is not to "win". More importantly, please ingrain this for future reference: "The Main Focus as Black First & Foremost, is to Equalize."
I guess some slav structures are similar to a Scandinavian... but mostly I'd say after 1.d4 you're not really going to get a game similar to a Scotch or Scandinavian.
Nimzo and QGD are very solid and extremely well respected choices at every level of play.
Semi-Slav is a great solid opening. Sure it has theory but it's very easy to learn and as a 1500 Blitz player, I never went passed 16 moves of theory (again it is very easy to memorize the line). You can check it out in my Semi Slav Study where I go over the Botvinnik Variation and later the Meran. It creates a messy game but it is not only fun but you will get better at chess if you play messy positions
Title says it all. I never change up my repertoire and I'm definitely not into learning deep theory, but I need something new against d4. As white I play e4, and try to go into the Scotch game, as Black against e4 I play the modern Scandinavian. Both of these often lead to open or semi-open games with a decent amount of tactics. I used to watch a lot of videos by GM Simon Williams and so I started playing the Classical Dutch against d4, but I never enjoy the positions I get in, even when I win, and I tend not to win a whole lot (although a lot of that has nothing to do with the opening.) I know d4 games tend not to be as open or as obviously tactical as e4, but can anyone recommend an opening that might be in the same general ballpark as the Scotch or Scandinavian?
Thanks in advance.