Black opening against e4 that has a PLAN

Hi,

I've always been an E5 player in response to E4. But I'm realizing that means I don't have much of a plan. Instead, white chooses the way it is going to go and I just have to defend.

Is there a black opening against E5 where *I* can be the one with a plan? Sicilian seems way too complicated for me. French Defense might be good but it seems very closed. I watched a video on Czech Pirc but I'm not thrilled about the early queen move ... but maybe I shouldn't be?

Why would anybody want to respond to this?

Oops...

hmmm ... I thought this was a forum for discussion????

It is obvious that the best plan against the offender e4 it is e5!! Blocking that pawn and opening lines it is a plan of equality

You lost me when you Capitalized "E4'...and, E5"!

Every proper response has plans connected to it, I love the Sicilian, personally. But if I didn't respond that way I might go for the Caro-Kann or something.

White has the initiave for the first move, so I don't know if their are any black openings with tricks and plans against e4 except maybe a weird gambit like the englund.

There are for sure, for example if you play the Caro-Kann, then once white chooses the advance, exchange or classical variation there are common plans in each of those lines. As a caro-kann player you need to know the ideas and plans in each of the main responses that white has to you choosing to respond to 1.e5 with 1...c6

A lot of players specialise in certain openings, or study enough openings so they know plans for whatever white wants to do. For example one of the best player's MVL specialises in the Najdorf and his idea is to know it so well that even though his opponent's can predict he will play it against them when they play 1.e4, he understands it so well he won't lose no matter how unusual a variation they prepare is. Of course they can play anti-sicilians and avoid the Najdorf but that isn't guaranteed to work at all, and they are often less effective.

For me, I aimed for the Dragon in the Sicilian and am switching to the Najdorf now. Obviously if you play 1...c5 you have to learn how to play black against anti-sicilians and learn plans for those, but if we do reach my desired opening of the Dragon or now Najdorf then I would know the plans very well and better than my opponent, and over time learned some on how to deal with anti-sicilians at a similar rate to how to play the Dragon itself.

No such opening exists where one side dictates. Both sides have a plan no matter what. The thing is, the plan MUST be flexible. You cannot go into a game saying I will play moves A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H as my first 8 moves.

Even 1...e5, Black doesn't just react, but he cannot dictate either.

After 1.e4 e5, after 2.Nf3, Black has a choice to make - 2...Nf6, 2...Nc6, or the dubious 2...d6, 2...d5, or 2...f5.

After 2.f4, again, Black has a choice - 2...exf4, 2...d5, 2...Bc5, etc.

If you are looking for something where you can pre-meditate your first 8 moves - dream on!

And as a French player, the French isn't always closed. A lot depends on Variation. The Advance is closed. The Winawer and McCutchen tend to be closed. The Tarrasch is Black's choice - 3...Nf6 is the closed Tarrasch, 3...c5 is the open Tarrasch. The Exchange is open. Once again, you cannot pre-meditate. I get closed games (3.e5, 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5), Semi-Open Games, 3...Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Bxe7 6.Qxe7, and Open Games (3.exd5, 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5, etc).

Same goes for other openings. Some lines of the Sicilian are wide open and others lead to blocked positions. Same goes for the Caro-Kann, even the Ruy Lopez can get really closed!

You know how they say "You get what you pay for"? Well, in chess, you get what you pay for in the form of spending time to study. Too lazy? You'll fail. Simple as that!

The Englund is a reply to d4.

Qd8 Scandinavian and trade pieces and maybe the minority attack

Thanks everyone! I watched the Czech Pirc and I think it has what I'm looking for. Playable against a wide range of opening moves (d4 or e4), and very likely to get into the middlegame in an even position. Fun stuff!

The black defence against e4 that has a plan is the Sicilian Defence.
The plan is to give white a lead in development, but to trade wing pawn c5 for central pawn d4, defend and win the endgame based on that.

This is true but it's also worth mentioning that if white castles queenside and you play the dragon or najdorf you can go for a minority attack, exchange sacrifice on c3, and a mating attack on white in hopes that you get there first before their pawn storm in the english attack or yugoslav etc hits you. So the plans change depending on white and what variation of the open you go for, as all openings, the plans can change. Otherwise at lower levels I notice that white often castles kingside and plays a more drawish game against the sicilian and so it is true that having an extra central pawn and a better pawn structure gives you an advantage in the later portion of the game that can result in a win or easy draw.

Not knowing what ones opponent will do is what makes chess a game.