My suggestion to FIDE.

I submitted the following suggestion to FIDE at their official site:

http://ratings.fide.com/suggest.phtml

Reposted here word-for-word:

My suggestion is to select the first move by White at random from an a pre-approved list.  An example list:

1.e4

1.d4

1.c4

1.Nf3

1.g3

1.b3

1.b4

1.c3

1.f4

1.Nc3

This will tend to de-emphasize the importance of deep opening preparation.  Why memorize positions 30 moves deep in, say, the Catalan, only to have to play 1.b4?

By pre-approving the list, you can avoid controversy that might ensue by forcing a strong player to make a weak move, such as 1.g4 or 1.h4.  The list of 10 moves I suggested all have some positional basis such as controlling the center of the board, while avoiding weakening the White king position too much.

I believe if you run a top tournament with this system, fans and players both will be rewarded with original and exciting games.