1. e4 or 1.d4?
1. e4 or 1.d4?
From the very first move, many beginners already struggle. It is a shame, but we have all been there before! Personally, I have always been a 1.d4 player and I'd like to share my reasons. Now, I am no GrandMaster like most players on chess.com, and I don't expect to convince anyone to start playing 1.d4. But I hope you, the reader will consider some of my points when making your own choice on opening 
First off, let's talk about inspiration. When I was starting out in chess, my chess coaches preferred playing d4 in tournaments. These guys were masters of d4 openings, and their games really left an impression on me. After years of playing 1.e4 as a beginner, I decided to pick up d4 lines from these seasoned players and realized the richness in the resulting middlegame positions intrigued me more so than the middlegames of Sicilian/Ruy Lopez openings. So if you're getting bored of playing chess games, perhaps it's time to switch up your opening choices! Even if it means losing a few games and dropping some rating, in my opinion it's better to prioritize your enjoyment while playing chess.
Next, let's discuss your individual comfort level. I was comfortable switching my openings, both as white and black. I learnt multiple openings as black against 1.e4 such as the french defence and caro-kann. This made me more at ease when playing 1.d4 at the start. Frankly speaking, the rules and principles remain the same regardless of opening. You need to prioritize the centre, not develop your queen so early, etc. Once you realize this, especially if you are not above the 1000 level on chess.com, switching openings from game to game sounds much less crazy. However, if you are not comfortable playing 1.d4, that is perfectly okay as well, there are many openings that spawn from 1.e4 that you can explore as well- no need to swap to 1.d4 if it makes you uncomfortable.
Lastly, ease. Personally, I really enjoyed playing 1.d4 as most of my friends when I was 8-10 years old loved to play the sicilian, and I was sick and tired of playing the open sicilian every other game. Starting with d4 made chess more refreshing and in fact, forced some of my opponents to play their less comfortable openings they prepared against 1.d4. This made me more confident and play faster against my opponents, lending me the edge in some key games. If you have a nemesis/friend who keeps playing an opening against you and you struggle to reply, switching your opening altogether can be a consideration. After all, this happened in the world championship match between Karpov and Kasparov 40 years ago!!
The choice is yours, but both 1.e4 and 1.d4 are popular among seasoned professionals, so with just a little preparation, you really can't go wrong either way. If you like to hear my thoughts on other openings, feel free to drop suggestions in the comments!
