Hey Jordan,
I was a 1.e4 player for the first half of my chess career. I think the reason it's fun to play the black pieces is that we can pick a particular system and try to steer the game into lines that we are more comfortable with than our opponents. If you can aim for that with the white pieces you might be able to get that same feeling. I think the basis for my repertoire was this: https://www.chesspublishing.com/content/repert.htm#stw
Now that I play more 1.d4/1.Nf3 systems though, I feel like it's much easier to play. Jesse and I are making a Caro-Kann repertoire right now for the black side that has about 10 chapters of 10 lines each. It'll include videos and PGN files. If people like it, we will probably make some 1.d4 Catalan repertoire videos for white. I would recommend trying 1.d4 and kingside fianchetto for white to see if you like it.
As for the white/black usual percentage, I think at most levels white scores between 50-55%, higher as the ratings of the players go up.
I like John's recommendations too. It's not so much about memorization as it is about working on the plans out of the opening. Most games are not won or lost because of memorizing.
Greetings all,
I'd like some insight or input on something I can change when it comes to my opening choices. Looking on the website openingtree and the lichess analytics tool, I found that against opponents above 1100 I have a 47% winning percentage when I play 1.d4.
The London has been my go-to opening for white for about a year and a half now, but I am finding it increasingly difficult to play as I increase in rating. I really like that it is not a complicated opening and that I don't need tons of theory for it. I'm aware that the London can be pretty passive, but it is also opening that strong masters play often.
I recently switched to 1.e4 on occasional games. On these games I only score 43%. That is not completely surprising of course as I have much less experience playing e4. For me, the biggest difficulty with e4 is vast number of openings I need to know. Do you strong e4 players just develop a repertoire against the Sicilian, French, Scandinavian, Caro-Kann, Ruy Lopez, and Petrov? This was one of the main reasons why I switched to 1.d4 in the first place.
Now on to my black openings, when facing 1.e4 (with the same parameters as before) I have a winning percentage of 69%!! Around the same time I started playing the London, I also began playing the Caro-Kann. This is my type of opening: solid, structural, simple.
Even when facing 1.d4 I have a winning percentage of 62%. I'm still trying to figure out a solid response to the queen's gambit setup and the London, but I usually go with a King's Indian or Nimzo-Indian. Any recommendations against d4 would be helpful.
In closing, a couple questions. Is it normal for people around my rating level (1350 blitz) to be better with the black pieces? Also, do you have any recommendations for playing with white? Things to learn in the London? Ways to learn e4 openings? I know there is a lot here, but thanks for reading!