Just look at the response the top 100 players always play against 1. d4. Surely, if there is a "best" response, they all play it, all the time, right?
Nimzo, Slav, Semi-Slav, and QGD hav always been strong. Grunfeld can give people fits below 1600 but requires a ton of time, but that's y it will give opponents fits.
If you want something odd not played alot but still wins alot look at English Rat 1....d6 2...e5 and Accelerated Queen's Indian.
Or Modern with early c5. Basically a KID with quick c5 and can surprise opponents bc it's not played much.
1.g6 2.Nf6 3.c5 or even 1...g6 2...c5 or 1...Nf6 2...c5 can't remember.
Better CHECK those lines first in case it's off lol .... the first one should be good.
If you want something odd not played alot but still wins alot look at English Rat 1....d6 2...e5 and Accelerated Queen's Indian.
Or Modern with early c5. Basically a KID with quick c5 and can surprise opponents bc it's not played much.
1.g6 2.Nf6 3.c5 or even 1...g6 2...c5 or 1...Nf6 2...c5 can't remember.
Better CHECK those lines first in case it's off lol .... the first one should be good.
The best scoring system against 1. d4 and most probably objectively the strongest is the Nimzo-Indian. But: You need to add something to your repertoire because you cannot play it against two white options: White can play
A) 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3
The main option against this used to be the queens indian in the past, but on top level it lost some of its reputation. In addition it has some lines which do not look logical to the eyes of lower rated players e.g. after 3. Nf3 b6 whites main moves are 4. g3 and 4. a3. In both cases Ba6 is stronger than Bb7 which is not obvious.
Many top level players moved from the queens indian to the Ragozin: 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 which offers more fighting chances for black than e.g. Be7. Of course it also is more similar to the Nimzo-Indian than the queens indian which is nice for us lower rated players: We get positions of similar types.
There is also a short-cut option for this Nimzo/Ragozin systems if you do not want to learn all Nimzo-Indian lines. Play 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 after which you will usually either transpose to the Ragozin or end in e3-Nimzo-Indians.
B) 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3
White goes for a Catalan. Nimzo/Ragozin players will often choose Bb4+ as response. You can check the mainlines in the Lichess opening explorer or take a look at the opening videos of the Youtube channel "Hanging pawns" which are very good.
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One additional word about the Slav because I saw that you play Caro-Kann against e4 and many will say that the Slav fits to that. It does (e.g. against 1. c4 you can play c6 which will bring you to e.g. a Panov or a Slav), but White has some annoying lines against it: If you feel comfortable against them than go for the Slav. What I personally find annoying are e.g.
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 . You can play Bf5 and go for the gambit 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 Nc6 7. Qxb7 Bd7 98. Qb3 Rb8 9. Qd1 e5 but it is dubious. If you dont play 4. e3 Bf5 and your main Slav weapon is not the a6-Chebanenko you dont have much choice: Either you respond to e3 with e6 and end up in a Meran or play the g6 Schlechter Slav which scores really bad. If you are adventureous you can respond avoid all that stuff and respond to 3. Nc3 e5!? 4. dxe5 d4 or 3. Nc3 dxc4 4. e4 b5 but that is not everybody cup of tea.
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 and now there are three types of annoying players:
a) Those who play in a radical way for a draw so that you have to go for slightly dubious lines like 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bf4 Ne4!?
b) Those who go for a small solid advantage with Nc3+Bf4 delaying Nf3
c) The crazy ones who know even in those seemingly boring positions some interesting attacking lines like 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. f3!?
The Slow Slav can be a pain in which you are squeezed in a position without much potential: 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4
A) 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3
The main option against this used to be the queens indian in the past, but on top level it lost some of its reputation. In addition it has some lines which do not look logical to the eyes of lower rated players e.g. after 3. Nf3 b6 whites main moves are 4. g3 and 4. a3. In both cases Ba6 is stronger than Bb7 which is not obvious.
Many top level players moved from the queens indian to the Ragozin: 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 which offers more fighting chances for black than e.g. Be7. Of course it also is more similar to the Nimzo-Indian than the queens indian which is nice for us lower rated players: We get positions of similar types.
There is also a short-cut option for this Nimzo/Ragozin systems if you do not want to learn all Nimzo-Indian lines. Play 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 after which you will usually either transpose to the Ragozin or end in e3-Nimzo-Indians.
B) 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3
White goes for a Catalan. Nimzo/Ragozin players will often choose Bb4+ as response. You can check the mainlines in the Lichess opening explorer or take a look at the opening videos of the Youtube channel "Hanging pawns" which are very good.
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One additional word about the Slav because I saw that you play Caro-Kann against e4 and many will say that the Slav fits to that. It does (e.g. against 1. c4 you can play c6 which will bring you to e.g. a Panov or a Slav), but White has some annoying lines against it: If you feel comfortable against them than go for the Slav. What I personally find annoying are e.g.
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 . You can play Bf5 and go for the gambit 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 Nc6 7. Qxb7 Bd7 98. Qb3 Rb8 9. Qd1 e5 but it is dubious. If you dont play 4. e3 Bf5 and your main Slav weapon is not the a6-Chebanenko you dont have much choice: Either you respond to e3 with e6 and end up in a Meran or play the g6 Schlechter Slav which scores really bad. If you are adventureous you can respond avoid all that stuff and respond to 3. Nc3 e5!? 4. dxe5 d4 or 3. Nc3 dxc4 4. e4 b5 but that is not everybody cup of tea.
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 and now there are three types of annoying players:
a) Those who play in a radical way for a draw so that you have to go for slightly dubious lines like 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bf4 Ne4!?
b) Those who go for a small solid advantage with Nc3+Bf4 delaying Nf3
c) The crazy ones who know even in those seemingly boring positions some interesting attacking lines like 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. f3!?
The Slow Slav can be a pain in which you are squeezed in a position without much potential: 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4
I don't believe there is such a thing as "the best" defense to 1.d4. I'm going to echo echo some other comments, in that I suggest you be satisfied with a defense or group of defenses that seem to work for you. That is, openings that lead to middlegames you are comfortable playing, that you have a "feel for".
When I was a teenager, one of my first openings was the Sicilian Dragon. I quickly discovered the Pirc (the Canadian Rat, as we called it then), and began playing opening systems with ...g6 and ...Bg7 all the time, good and bad alike. So I developed a passing familiarity with the King's Indian, the modern Benoni, and the Benko Gambit. And as much as I wanted to believe that they were all alike, I began to see that they aren't. Each has its own set of strategic issues, its own skeletons in its own closet.
Later I drifted into the Nimzo-indian and the Queens-indian, and later after that into the semi-slav. Taken altogether, that makes a pretty broad repertoire, for a club player. A lot to learn, but that's the result of half a century of play, and half a century of curiosity. You're still early in your season, you only need a starting point for now.
One approach that I have recommended in the past is that you find a collection of games by a great player you admire and copy that player's openings. Players who lasted a long time at or near the top will obviously have a varied repertoire; they will have openings that they were faithful to for a while, then dropped in favour of new openings. Struggle through as much as you can, then go back and take a second look at the opening(s) that catch your fancy. For me, it was Botvinnik and eventually the French defense, but YMMV.
When I was a teenager, one of my first openings was the Sicilian Dragon. I quickly discovered the Pirc (the Canadian Rat, as we called it then), and began playing opening systems with ...g6 and ...Bg7 all the time, good and bad alike. So I developed a passing familiarity with the King's Indian, the modern Benoni, and the Benko Gambit. And as much as I wanted to believe that they were all alike, I began to see that they aren't. Each has its own set of strategic issues, its own skeletons in its own closet.
Later I drifted into the Nimzo-indian and the Queens-indian, and later after that into the semi-slav. Taken altogether, that makes a pretty broad repertoire, for a club player. A lot to learn, but that's the result of half a century of play, and half a century of curiosity. You're still early in your season, you only need a starting point for now.
One approach that I have recommended in the past is that you find a collection of games by a great player you admire and copy that player's openings. Players who lasted a long time at or near the top will obviously have a varied repertoire; they will have openings that they were faithful to for a while, then dropped in favour of new openings. Struggle through as much as you can, then go back and take a second look at the opening(s) that catch your fancy. For me, it was Botvinnik and eventually the French defense, but YMMV.
1.d4 Nf60-1
#1: Look through tournament statistics. Answers from players are meaningless when we have a database.
#21: There's no rule that says top players have to play the best openings. If they prefer weaker openings that put them at a disadvantage, they might play them, along with other possible reasons. Win-loss-draw rates are what determine a strategies strength, not popularity.
#21: There's no rule that says top players have to play the best openings. If they prefer weaker openings that put them at a disadvantage, they might play them, along with other possible reasons. Win-loss-draw rates are what determine a strategies strength, not popularity.
d5...e6
You have three options: asymmetrical, symmetrical, or ignore the move and play your own.
Every position is a setup - assume it's a themed match and you're playing first. When material blocks your path, you can move it, go around, or wait behind it. Moving it has consequences, waiting behind it is boring, and going around causes reactions.
The initial move has 20 playable choices. Play something and enjoy your own creations, don't just repeat what others have done. Playing to have fun is more rewarding and creative than playing mechanically. @TheGreatW
This site has 3 types of opening books. They are listed under 3 tabs: Masters database, lichess database, and Player. Use that and an engine to generate new ideas. You can also look a peoples chess insights and other places on the web for inspiration. Ask an AI or look at what bots have played might even be better than asking it in a forum. Search for links that already exist for a better answer to your subject questions:
lichess.org/opening/Queens_Pawn_Game/d4
lichess.org/analysis/pgn/d4
lichess.org/training/Queens_Pawn_Game
lichess.org/video?tags=opening/queen%27s+pawn+(d4)
lichess.org/study/search?q=d4
Every position is a setup - assume it's a themed match and you're playing first. When material blocks your path, you can move it, go around, or wait behind it. Moving it has consequences, waiting behind it is boring, and going around causes reactions.
The initial move has 20 playable choices. Play something and enjoy your own creations, don't just repeat what others have done. Playing to have fun is more rewarding and creative than playing mechanically. @TheGreatW
This site has 3 types of opening books. They are listed under 3 tabs: Masters database, lichess database, and Player. Use that and an engine to generate new ideas. You can also look a peoples chess insights and other places on the web for inspiration. Ask an AI or look at what bots have played might even be better than asking it in a forum. Search for links that already exist for a better answer to your subject questions:
lichess.org/opening/Queens_Pawn_Game/d4
lichess.org/analysis/pgn/d4
lichess.org/training/Queens_Pawn_Game
lichess.org/video?tags=opening/queen%27s+pawn+(d4)
lichess.org/study/search?q=d4