Best defenses for a beginner

I am fairly new to the chess world. I am learning the Queens Gambit accepted and declined to start off with as openings but what would you suggest is the best defense or couple of defenses for a beginner to start out with??

It all depends on your playing style. Are you more of a positional or tactical player?

It's gotta be next to impossible to know if you're a positional or tactical player if you're 'fairly' new to the chess world.  Just play the game at this point, and don't worry about playing openings/defenses people you don't know, nor will never meet suggest on the internet.

I immediately realized the error of my ways after posting this. This guy/girl is completely correct. I would stick to just a few openings though and get comfortable with them before branching out and trying more.

I don't know what kind of player I am - I was introduced to chess when I was 11 but my aunt didn't know much - 3 months ago I got back into chess and found out about enpassant and castling - I am now learning the opening I mentioned but am lost as black as to what to do. I am no longer happy playing willy nilly and want to learn more .. I have downloaded quite a few of GM Yasser Seirawans videos but have yet to find any for beginner defenses.

There are people on the internet with heaps more knowledge than I who can give me their wisdom from their experience and then I can see if those will fit.  - I am looking for somethin relatively basic just so I have some kind of foot in the game as black :)

The French Defense 1. e4 e5 2. d4 d5 is almost universally taught (I have no actual basis for that except intuition) as a sound opening for beginners and much more skilled players.

My father give me the advice: "Dont study opening if you dont know what to do next". I knew the opening by mind without know the ideas behind them, playing with him, a siciliana, when the opening finish, he sad " Now i´ll see what do you know". I lost in 5 moves.

Study endings first, after study strategies and tactics (middle game) and in the last, the openning. Its mine advice.

I will not be changing how I am studying unless I get a coach and they tell me differently. I have a good grasp on tactics I am learning and will continue to learn them and now need help with a defense or 2.

I haven't lost in 5 moves since I was 13 - Iam much older and am now filling in gaps and learning more. Thats why I am asking advise on defenses :)

@krom - I will check that one out ty :)

If you are learning the Queens Gambit you can use what you know to play against it if your opponent plays 1/- d4, so I assume your main problem is against 1/- e4.

Thats an interesting problem, everyone will have a favourite line, mine is the Sicilian but that may not be the best for you. Maybe someone has some other options although the French as suggested by kromhawk may be worth investigating

Actually against both would be good :)

Develop your pieces, try to control the centre and get castled and try to make fewer pawn moves.

That's enough for now, even in 3 day moves you're missing hanging pieces.

If you look at my games that was before I started working on openings and before I started watching GM Seirawan - pity this site doesn't record comp games * sigh*

Anywhos I am still looking for a defense or 2 so that I can have a foot in the game as black.. I am going to watch the French Defense tonight - anyone else have any suggestions on 1 or 2 defenses for a Beginner??

Well, it depends what your opponent plays.

You need a response to 1. e4 1. d4 1. Nf3 1. Nc3 1. c4 1. g3 etc

Then you need a response to each of their next possible moves.

The problem with being given an opening is that people can fall into the trap of playing the moves of that opening regardless, and missing moves that give them a tactical or strategical advantage.

Against e5, I would suggest the open games, against d4 the queens gambit declined.

Sure, why not.  I suggest the queen's gambit declined (QGD) and the Ruy Lopez (Ruy) for both white and black.

As scott said though, the principals are all you really need.  I've looked at games where I followed opening book for 10 or more moves and I'd never played or seen that line before... of course that's not possible with all openings but just to support that the principals are useful.

Develop your non-pawns (called pieces) as quickly as possible.  Ideally one move per piece in the opening, and ideally to squares where they influence the center.  Try to place (and maintain) a pawn on a central square.  Other than that minimize pawn moves, and castle.  Ideally you'll castle to a side where the pawns on the farthest three files have not been moved.

As a Beginner I know that I won't have the perfect response for every opening - this is why I am looking for 1 or 2 basic Defenses - yes they won't work for everything - neither will my Queens Gambit openings but they are a start. As a matial artist you do not start with roundhouses, flying snap kicks or even breaking boards - you learn basic defense moves, stance and basic punching and basic kicking...... will these defend you against everything??? Heck no! But you are building a base to work from.

In Chess I know my stance and am learning some basic punches but am looking for a defense.

As Queentakes pointed out I am working on Queens Gambit accepted and declined as white so am payinng attention to the defenses for thoose.

Andy others???

Ty I will check out the Ruy Lopez !

I am starting to get a feeling that there is a push againstt learning theory - is there and if so why??

I think the push is against memorizing openings move by move, I see no problem with learning basic concepts behind a couple of openings & building an opening repetoire from there.

Learning theory is great, but if you don't understand middlegames then it becomes pure memorization.  Pure memorization doesn't improve results (winning and losing) unless you're learning what traps not to fall for.

Learning theory is very useful when you understand the middlegame.  Unfortunately sometimes middlegame positions don't make any sense until you learn the why behind those moves too... which is known as learning the endgame

This is one of the reasons for the counter-intuitive but commonly given advice for beginners to study the endgame first and openings last.  Why?  One of the reasons, again, is because that will improve your results (and understanding of chess).

Ok, I'll throw in a couple of ideas that worked for me, I'm not recommending you do any more than look at a video of them. If you like Yasser Seirawan you may also like Dereque Kelley they do some excellent videos & you can check out the openings without spending a heap of time or money on it.

When I started openings I went straight to the Sicilian Dragon & the Grunfeld as black. They can be tricky but I was playing a lot of Correspondence games as well as OTB so I needed some solid theory to back up what I had already learned.

So while you wait for some more suggestions have a look at a few videos & see if anything grabs your interest.