What is this E6 B6 black opening against all white openings?

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to find a way to equalize as black in openings without too much memory work.  Reason been I just want to enjoy other aspects of chess this way.  So for e4 , scandinavian is perfect for black as without too much memory work you can almost equalize.  But for d4 and c4 I'm struggling to find an easy opening for black without too much memory work. I'm currently playing KID against these, but it is hit and miss and I feel I need to actually learn KID theory well to play it properly, which is difficult for me. 

So I was looking around and Gotham chess has advertised e6,b6 course for black against all openings (It is about 1 hr long and 40 bucks). I'm just wondering is it worth to buy it? I have no idea of this e6, b6 setup. So even if people who have not bought this course, you guys must know about this setup more than me, so if you are playing this setup can you tell me is it worth it? Are there any youtube videos of this setup so I know what I'm getting it to. Basically will I be wasting my money on this setup if my goal is to find a quick minimum moves to memorise defense againt all sidelines of d4 and c4.  If not do you guys know any opening for black like scandinavian where I can easily equalise against d4 without too much memory work. Thanks a lot. 

e6 b6 stuff is kinda sketchy. Not like the Scandi isn’t.

Neither is gonna get Black easy equality and probably not any equality.

You might hate me for this, but I personally think that the Scandinavian is sketchy too.

Against d4, try the Accelerated queens indian.

More solid and does not allow white to take the full center like in the owens. 

I think Levys course is good to, but you will need to know what to do if they play 2.e4, which leads to learning the full course. 

Sure, if White doesn't play the best moves, this works, but there is a reason that 2...e6 is played far more often than 2...b6.  Because Black has problems against the strongest response to 2...b6.

3.Nc3! Bb7 4.Qc2! and now if 4...e6 5.e4! Bb4, simply 6.Bd3 and White's better.  This is not the same as 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 O-O 5.e4, which is far riskier for White.

If you want something sound with less theory against 1.d4, play the Classical Dutch.

The only problem with the Stonewall, which I have played myself, is you can't always play it, and have to play the Classical anyway at times.  So might as well go with the Classical instead.

The only problem with the Stonewall is that you cannot play the Stonewall if it allows the White setup after d4, c4, Nc3, Nf3, Bf4, e3, Bd3.

So you CANNOT play the Stonewall after say:

1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 d5?? (4...Bb4 is better with an "Accelerated Nimzo") 5.Bf4! intending e3 and Bd3

1.d4 f5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 - lines with ...d5 here are no good.

Also, lines with an early Nh3 should be answered by the classical setup:

1.d4 f5 c4 Nf6 3.g3 e6 4.Nh3 and now 4...d5? is a mistake.  Instead, 4...d6 or 4...Be7, going for a classical setup and looking to take control of f4, a square both the Bishop and Knight would love to occupy.

But to avoid all of these complication, the Classical Dutch all the time would solve that problem.

Thanks for all the replies very helpful. I will check the dutch out. 

First of all I want to clarify something about Scandi. I know it doesn't equalize very well, but whatever white plays after e4 you are almost sure you will always face a position that you are familiar with . That is boring but amazing at the same time. Is there any opening against D4 where you don't have to equalize but you will always get into familiar position whatever white plays after d4 like scandi. I basically want a boring opening where I get into similar positions everytime, so I can enjoy my middle and end game whatever the result of the game. 

There is more work needed to make those positionally dubious openings really than some relatively little-known sound setups (I had no idea the Scandinavian is close to equality without any work; maybe at 1600 but certainly not at +2000). Things like 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 (even played by GMs nowadays); some a6 Slav, the classical Slav without 5... Bf5 (White does know very little about them as 98% of the time 5... Bf5 is played) and so on.

You got a lot of pgn text. I think 19 or 20 chapters

Still a rip off

I would not call it a rip off. as it comes with a pgn file and notes, somethings that many writers do not provide. Take chessable for example, a course there costs up to 250 dollars.

they are many good reasons to play b6 but unless this is just a fun blitz repertoire not having to memorize isnt one of them. Lines can get rather complex and trappy, for both white and black, and if your opponent, does his homework, you will need to know your own theory inside and out to do well.

But from experience,i can tell you, that below the expert level, (and esp below 1800), practically no one will play the critical lines agaisnt you, and even if they do, you should know more about these lines than any club player should and be fine.

Go with Bauer's b6 book and Lakdawala's book on the defense (Oddeskky came out with a book on 1.b3 and 1.b6 this year but its kind of crap and confusing,). You may want to supplement that with engine analysis as you get into a lot of novel territory fairly easily with such a rare defense, and check out games from players like Genkis, Blatny, Filipovic, Miles,Bauer, etc in databases and you will be good to go.

English defense has more material to work with  than the Owen's so you have more material to choose from but its by no means an easy defense. You will get into pretty wild positions.

nah, some openings are just plain refuted. No matter how much you know.  The worst 1.b6 will give you is a 0.5ish advantage for white.  Agaisnt a well booked opponent, you can be the world expert on the latvian and you will be lucky to limp into a draw.

you rarely ever get to castle queenside in the Owen's. If you play the c5 lines, you castle kingside, if you play the french like lines, you will prob hold off on castling for a while.  the weird early nc6 lines and hippo lines are also mostly 0-0.

the argument is not "play the owen's, we are a better than the latvian" the argument is, No, some openings are just refuted no matter how much you know of them, a sufficiently prepared opponent will make you lose by force, or at least, make you hope for a mercy draw after you survived for too long, and had virtually no chance to win the whole game.

and i think the best litmus test on whether a defense (you can get away with far much with white) is truly playable agaisnt a well prepared opponent or not is: can i reasonably expect to equalize even if it takes a bit longer agaisnt a very prepared opponent? if the answer is no,then the opening is just a trick.

i think you are underestimating just how easy access it is for even a club players today to access a cloud engine with depth 50 on some opening and spend a part of the night before a tourney memorizing some lines and leaving you miserable. There is a level so low in which even with this prep, a player can get away with a refuted opening, but that bar is getting lower and lower. an 1800 prepped to the teeth on  your bad gambit of choice can leave even a strong master pretty miserable (and i dont mean, smith morras, or benko gambit,  i mean gambits that lead you +1)

the most annoying line for me as an Owen's player. is actually this line. 1.e4 b6 2.d4 bb7 3.bd3 nf6 4.nc3 e6 5.nge2! which i rarely see it.

i actually  wona big junior event many years ago where my opponent, a 10 year old 1800 and a stronger player, played this agaisnt me , and i not fully knowing the best reply, played the natural but incorrect bb4, and swapped bishop for knight, and I still won the game. This pretty much solidified in my mind that even at that level, if they prepare some 6 move formation agaisnt you, black should still have plenty of chances winging it.

here is one of those rare lines where you do get to 0-0-0

Im srry to all the fans of the Latavian but it SUCKS!!!!

Any black opening other than the kings indian with f5 sucks. 

But NMdarkunorthodox has a good line