Good afternoon,
I'm a beginner chess player (~1100 or so rated), and I'm looking to expand my knowledge of positional chess. Right now, I pretty explicitly play e4 the Italian opening. I feel relatively comfortable within it, and definitely learning of tactical opportunities within my short time controls (usually 5|3). I feel I have a tremendously weak understanding of positional chess and learning how to improve my pawn structure and piece positioning on the board. I'd like to learn more slow paced, "boring", positional chess out of a d4 opening.
Can someone suggest a very easy to learn d4 positional opening?
Additionally - I'm trying to learn one reasonable answer to d4. I am thoroughly enjoying playing the french defense against e4, and have gotten stronger at understanding the development of the advanced, but I never feel comfortable getting an equal solid, not super theory dependent answer to d4 openings. What easy defense do you recommend a beginner study to fight d4?
All the best,
Jeff
Karpov comes to my mind - he played a lot of slow positional games with 1.d4 maybe check out his games
I'm not high rated but I'll try to give my best advice :).
You can play positional with both e4 and d4, but for d4, the Queen's Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4) is probably the most principled way to play -- you will find that the plans make a lot of sense even for beginners.
The London System (1.d4 Nf3-Bf4 in whatever order) is an easy and popular way to open, but if your opponent knows what they're doing you'll probably struggle to get an advantage.
Pillsbury was a late 19th-century top player who specialized in the QG (altough he also played e4). He played it in a slightly more aggresive way, and I find his games more easy to follow than those played by modern masters. Also, the second section of the book "Logical Chess Move by Move" by Chernev is all about classical games with Queen's Pawn openings.
If you struggle to find an answer to 1.d4 as black you can play the flexible 1...e6 in the hope of transposing to a French (after 2.e4), a Nimzo-Indian (1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6) or QG Declined (1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5) if your opponent plays c4, or an immediate 2...c5 if your opponent goes for a London.
I Like The colle system, the london, and the veresov... the Nimzo is a great defense... Karpov is the best... positional play can be very interesting. ( consider the caro kann as response to e4... it pairs well with the french. ) To become a great positional player you will need to have decent endgame skills... and tactics are not just for tactical players... try playing longer time controls...patience is required for positional play... ZEN and the cultivation of non-attachment... ayn rand... objectivity,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,GL.
If you play the Italian opening, just stick to it. The main line 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5/Nf6 4 d3 leads to positional chess. See for example games of the match Carlsen-Karjakin of the previous World Championship.
Against 1 d4 you can play 1...e6 as said above inviting 2 e4 transposing to the French defence. If white plays 2 c4 or 2 Nf3, then you can go 2...Nf6 3...Be7 and 4...d5, which is the most positional way of handling it. See for example game 4 of the Carlsen-Caruana match for the ongoing World Championship.
*Against* d4 I would recommend the Benko gambit. Its themes are simple and the overarching strategy dictates moves well. My mentor suggested this when I was a rank beginner and I grasped it well and quickly, despite my lack of chess ability. I would be glad to help you with it if you like. Send me a PM if you want to work some moves out in the Benko.
As far as playing 1.d4 as White, I would not recommend it until you are more familiar with subtle positional ideas. It's a difficult complex to deal with as a beginner.
MR
D4 Opening: Queens Gambit
Against D4: just play d5
@Microraver the only thing you need to know to play the Queen's Gambit as a beginner is to understand pawn breaks and space advantage, whereas the Open Games are actually quite subtle, including the Italian Game.