Black opening systems vs. e4 ?

http://www.chess.com/forum/search?keyword=black+defence+to+1.e4

Play the black side of the Ruy, its good fun to change up your defence based on how youre feeling, and its much easier than switching between say ifferent variations of the sicilian.

Personally I like the Berlin and the Schliemann.

1...e5, 1...c5 and 1...e6 are the most popular replies. 1...c6 is also perfectly solid. I suggest one of these options.

The (somewhat) lesser popular tries are 1...d5, 1...d6 or even 1...Nf6. Here white can usually get a space advantage. I don't recommend these systems if you're just starting out. They are still better than wacky moves like f6 and f5 or a6 or something.

There exists no best opening systems against e4.

There are many good opening systems against e4. Explore them and find out which one(s) appeal to you.

The 4 most popular anwers to e4 according to Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Pawn_Game
is 1... c5, 1...e5, 1...e6 and 1...c6

Look at Wikipedia to find more.

With the black pieces I prefer 1... c6, but I have also played 1... c5 many times.

Now and then I play other moves just for the variation and lust to try out different options. I seldom play 1... e5, although it can happen; it is certainly a good move. It all depends on what you like yourself.

Guess I'm 9 years too late, but someone really needs to point out that all of the replies to this question were off-topic.

He asked if there was a SYSTEM vs. e4... not any old opening. A "system" being something that is fairly robust/transpose-able/thematic such that you can usually play it and end up with similar results no matter what your opponent responds with (obviously this can be suboptimal if you just randomly bang out the moves, especially if your opponent is familiar with the system.)

There's only one true 'system' that I'm aware of vs. e4, and that is... The Hippo.  Objectively it's a pretty suspect system--maybe don't use it in a slow game vs. a decent player--but it's ok for faster time controls and it's good practice for maneuvering in cramped positions.

There may be similar Modern / Pirc family setups you can aim for that are fairly system-y to play. I've done some experimenting here myself but haven't found something I really like. Grandmasters commonly say that the Pirc and to a lesser extent the Modern aren't good at the top level because you're giving White way too many options that he can choose from.

There may be more systems vs. e4 but I don't know. (That's how I found this thread; I was looking for more 1. e4 systems.)

A couple openings that are ALMOST systems vs. e4, in my own subjective playing experience:

The Caro-Kann with the bishop whipped out early tends to follow very set patterns for the first dozen moves or so (though sometimes someone will choose the fantasy variation or something.)  You do have to react to what your opponent is doing, but the potential threats are fairly obvious, are nearly always the same (and nearly always queenside.)

I've also played a defense-oriented Scandinavian a lot that was pretty system-like. Qa4 variant, and the key move is c6, which blocks the knight and a fianchettoed bishop (if present), and then the Queen slips back to c7 if and when the dark square bishop challenges it. It's very passive looking but it's also very solid, and while white has space, he usually has to do a lot of work if he wants to get an attack going. You also often have the option to castle queenside (I usually don't do this unless it'll help an active attack I have vs. the opponent's king.) The moves very rarely change.

#6
"The Hippo.  Objectively it's a pretty suspect system
--maybe don't use it in a slow game vs. a decent player"
++ Here a slow game vs. a world champion
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1106728 

Caro-Kann – Korchnoi (aka Tartakower) Variation…
For an aggressive defense against 1.e4, with the goal of a Kingside attack, I highly recommend the following....

Caro-Kann Defense - Korchnoi Variation (sometimes referred to as the Tartakower Variation). The variation begins -  1.e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3.Nc3 (or Nd2) dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6 exf6...

I refer you to the following instructive videos on the variation...
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=korchnoi+variation+caro+kann

The best book by far on the Caro-Kann which extensively and instructively treats the Korchnoi Variation is...
Win with the Caro-Kann by Sverre Johnsen & Torbjorn Ringdal Hansen

You are not missing much.  It is garbage.  Clear advantage White if he knows what he is doing.