The ...d5 defences: hold the centre
Answering 1.d4 with 1...d5 stakes an equal claim immediately, and White's standard try is the Queen's Gambit — 2.c4, offering a pawn to deflect the defender.
The Queen's Gambit Declined is the classical answer and one of the soundest openings in chess: Black holds the centre with ...e6, develops, and accepts a passive bishop as the price of a structure with no weaknesses. The Slav Defense supports d5 with ...c6 instead, keeping the bishop's diagonal open — the same solidity without the same passivity, at the cost of slightly slower queenside development. The Semi-Slav combines both and is far sharper than either.
These are the defences to pick if you want a game you understand from move one, and are content to equalise before playing for more.
The Indian defences: give the centre, then hit it
1...Nf6 declines to commit the d-pawn and prepares a fianchetto. The idea is deliberately provocative: let White build the big pawn centre, then undermine it with pieces and pawn breaks while it is still unfinished.
The King's Indian Defense is the sharpest expression — Black castles, plays ...e5, closes the centre and storms the kingside while White does the same on the queenside. Games are decided by who arrives first, and draws are rare. The Grünfeld takes the same premise and attacks the centre immediately with pieces rather than building slowly.
The Nimzo-Indian is the most respected of the family and the most positional: Black pins the knight on c3 with ...Bb4, and the game revolves around whether Black's doubled-pawn concession is worth the bishop pair damage inflicted on White. The Queen's Indian is its quieter companion for when White avoids the pin with 3.Nf3.
Choosing between them
Ask what you want to be doing on move twenty. In the ...d5 defences you will typically be manoeuvring in a stable structure, looking for a break. In the King's Indian you will be attacking a king with everything you own and hoping your own survives. Both are legitimate; only one of them is comfortable for any given player.
Practical note: a Nimzo-Indian repertoire needs a companion, because White can sidestep it with 3.Nf3. Most Nimzo players pair it with the Queen's Indian or the Bogo-Indian. Budget for that when you count the theory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the King's Indian Defense good for club players?
Yes, unusually so. The plans repeat almost identically from game to game — close the centre, get the knight out of the way, play ...f5 and march the kingside pawns — so the understanding compounds fast. It is demanding to calculate once the storms collide, but you always know what you are trying to do, which is worth more at club level than an objectively better evaluation.
What is the most solid defence to 1.d4?
The Queen's Gambit Declined, and it has held that reputation for over a century. Black gets a structure with no weaknesses and a clear development scheme. The concession is the light-squared bishop, which spends the opening behind its own pawns and often has to be freed by a specific manoeuvre rather than a natural move.
Do I need to know the Queen's Gambit Accepted?
Only as one line among several if you play 1...d5 — taking on c4 is a perfectly sound way to meet the gambit, but it is a choice you make, not something White forces on you. If you play an Indian defence you will not reach it at all.