Best defense against queen's gambit?

i am around 1138 [live chess] and having trouble selecting the best reply to the QG that is not the Albin Counter gambit. there's too many options to choose from and i need help.

You should not be studying openings at 1138.  You should be focused on opening concepts only.  Control the center.  Develop the minor pieces first.  Don't move pieces multiple times.  Etc.

That said, based on one opening concept, control the center, Black has a strong point on d5 after 1.d4 d5.  White tries to disturb it with 2.c4.  Black, if he wants to maintain his strong point, must protect his pawn with another pawn.  Therefore, you should play either 2...e6 or 2...c6.  Both have their detriments.  2...e6 makes the Light-Squared Bishop have limited scope.  2...c6 impedes the Black Knight from developing to its most natural square.  Pretend that you have never heard of the words "Queen's Gambit Declined" or "Slav Defense" and approach the opening phase of the game as described above until you are at least 1600 and preferably 1800.

the slav or semi slac might be a good option

i suck at chess

^hilarious

This. There are, of course, other things that it is important to study... but the memorization of specific opening lines is not among them.

A rule of thumb I've been following is to study only as deep as you see in your games. My opponents usually take me off-book by move 5-7, so I have memorized the first 5-7 moves of my favorite lines. After that I have to rely on my dubious understanding of opening concepts.

That being said, I have a surprisingly strong win % with slav/semi-slav lines without much memorizing. There is a lot of theory in those lines, but it's not necessary to know at the 1200 level. Responding 1d4 Nf6 is the primary alternative and seems to require more skill to stay on the right track. I also hear that Tarrasch is good for beginners, but I'm not familiar with it.

I'm at the 1600 level online. Probably more in the 1400-1500 as in my live chess. Interested in higher boards view of defending the queen's gambit

i like to use the albin 

it's very good, with lots of traps involved

(lasker's trap)

there is no "best defense". A lot depends on your style of play. Personally, I play the slav defense (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6) and a have a good score with it.

ThrillerFan wrote:You should not be studying openings at 1138.  You should be focused on opening concepts only.  Control the center.  Develop the minor pieces first.  Don't move pieces multiple times.  Etc.

That said, based on one opening concept, control the center, Black has a strong point on d5 after 1.d4 d5.  White tries to disturb it with 2.c4.  Black, if he wants to maintain his strong point, must protect his pawn with another pawn.  Therefore, you should play either 2...e6 or 2...c6.  Both have their detriments.  2...e6 makes the Light-Squared Bishop have limited scope.  2...c6 impedes the Black Knight from developing to its most natural square.  Pretend that you have never heard of the words "Queen's Gambit Declined" or "Slav Defense" and approach the opening phase of the game as described above until you are at least 1600 and preferably 1800.

     Absoultely Correct. I would want to add to focuse on middlegame and endgame a lot more, study positional play, and when you have perfected these, study openings.

Absolutely study openings, but do so in the context of what has been stated above.

When studying an opening ask yourself what principle is being applied, control the center, develop pieces, etc..

@C_Rose, OP was last on line 4 years ago. Probably a GM by now

I agree that tactics should be your focus, but a basic opening repertoire is important. My 1100-1500 Regular USCF OTB rated high school players rode the Bishop's Opening to the County Championship and 3rd Place in the State in the '90's before Kasparov played it and it became fashionable again after 60 years of mostly neglect.  In general their only opening goal was to get to a playable middle game, but knowing where 1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 can lead will often give you an edge in clock time - if nothing else, especially if you have a blitz game - sometimes used as a tiebreaker in regular-time (30 min or more) tournaments.

Personally I like the Slav, which sometimes transposes into the Caro-Kann (1 d4 c6 2 e4 d5), because it allows me to get my bad bishop outside the pawn chain, not feel cramped, and I can generally avoid complicated tactics while I develop my pieces and look for a plan of attack worth trying.

(For more advanced players seeking an answer to this question.)

The Meran if you want to take your opponent into a world of bewildering, mind-boggling complexity that will have him/her reaching for the aspirin after the game even if he/she wins.

I dont think that there is a "best" defense against the queen's gambit but i like the Benoni

That makes me think so hard though...

About the red one:

It's ok to mention (basic) concepts of chess. Sometimes, you end up forgetting them. I don't know if I should recommend to stop studying openings. I'm not sure. 

Anyways, it's your choice to familiarize with (some) openings. Choose your favorite opening, study it. If someone knows it, choose another one that he/she is not familiar with. 

play 2...e6 and then just act spontaneously