If you want a solid and safe opening, the London System, 1.d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 or 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 to almost any black response. Not a an exciting opening but sound.You won't have to study much and you won't in the opening. In the opening? I've known dozens of juniors who took the advice to play the London System as White. They didn't lose many games, but they also stopped playing competitive chess earlier than others.
Chess is supposed to be fun. Play sharper stuff and learn how to beat your opponents. Don't fear your opponent's openings, beat them. If you want a solid and safe opening, the London System, 1.d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 or 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 to almost any black response. Not a an exciting opening but sound.You won't have to study much and you won't in the opening.
In the opening? I've known dozens of juniors who took the advice to play the London System as White. They didn't lose many games, but they also stopped playing competitive chess earlier than others. Chess is supposed to be fun. Play sharper stuff and learn how to beat your opponents. Don't fear your opponent's openings, beat them.
Download Free eBook:A Strategic Chess Opening Repertoire for White - Free chm, pdf ebooks download.
Many coaches encourage their students to learn the London System, as it's 'easy', when they shouldn't be programmed into a system in which the moves require no thought. I like Kornev's recent 3 volume series A Practical White Repertoire with 1.d4 and 2.c4 better than Watson's book. Many of the recommendations overlap and I think his approach against the solid main lines is very sensible. One thing I like is that he generally takes a solid approach but he doesn't back down against aggressive systems like the Benoni (Taimanov) and Benko (the King Walk 12.a4! Line that turned me off the Benko).
It's maybe a bit advanced, but there is more explanation than you will find in Watson. Repertoire books like these are not so relevant at your level, but this may be something to aim for in the long run. You can use repertoire books as a reference as you encounter openings in your games. In the meantime, a book like Strategic Chess: Mastering the Closed Game by Edmar Mednis can give you a good general overview of the closed openings with 1.d4.
Introductory game collections like Logical Chess: Move by Move are better at this level for the learning the opening. Mednis' Strategic Chess might be more useful around Class C and includes more modern openings. Tactical exercises are good, but not everything to chess.
Games
If you are planning on building a chess culture to become a strong player, you will want to begin reading game collections early on. To be clear, I am not recommending Kornev's books as reading for a 1000 player, but it is my personal preference as an expert. As I said earlier, repertoire books are not so relevant at that level.