1.e4 is over-rated

if you're going to play f3 then d4 you've basically transposed into a saemisch, only if you follow up with Be3 e4 and c4

(Hmmm, ... seems like someone doesn't understand what a farce this whole thread is.)

Oh, you're right. I guess I forgot. How could I be so stupid? Sheesh.

It's the MIDDLEGAME you need to study first . Everybody knows that.

you can't study only one part. you need to study all 3 phases, the opening, the middlegame, and the endgame. I agree you need more endgame than opening, but you still need some opening. and I still don't understand how to study the middlegame. all I know is that you need to have a plan, and creat steps to try to achieve it.

and also, we're both off topic. this thread is about how over rated someone thinks e4 is 

is someone seriously trying to argue that f3 is a good move?

It is a fact.Watch the previous games

http://www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=673053623

Come to me if you wanna know a bit of middlegame tactics, hehe..

Middlegames aren't important. Don't screw up, and you'll do fine.

that's nice advice...

actually it depends. g4 is equally as bad as f3, since if you follow up with f3 (or g4) then it allows Qh4#

but I don't want to get into anymore arguments. I've already had enough trouble today

Barnes opening had always have a very bad reputation. As in Wikipedia, "Of the twenty possible first moves in chess, author and grandmaster Edmar Mednis argues that 1.f3 is the worst.", "1.f3 is a poor move". Well in my opinion there are several points against 1. f3 2. e4

A. What if 1. f3 d5, then I don't think you can do your 2. e4 

B. Weakens the g1-d4 diagonal, so you must put your bishop on it, and it will be a pretty bad idea to castle kingside.

C. You pretty much end up placing your knight on e2 for most of the time, which if 1. f3 e5, makes that knight a bad one, since the squares d4 and f4 are controlled by the pawn.

D. The open diagonal e1-h4 is dangerous to the king, and probably cannot place a bishop or something there. 

E. If you castle queenside and develop your kingside pawns, the pawn structure will be weak as your g-pawn does not really have a good place to go. If it is on g4, the f3 pawn needs to protect both and I think I could win a pawn by that. And the most mysterious thing is...

F. You said 1. e4 is over rated. Even if all the above are false, then what's the difference between 1. f3 2. e4 and 1. e4 2. f3 ?

f3 could transpose into lots of openings like the yugoslav attack

also the damiano defence by black, looks like this opening reversed:

 both were blitz (5 minute) games.

BEST BY TEST--BOBBY FISCHER

@MonkeyH

1 f3 is not a reversed damiano, because he gets one extra tempo, so 1 extra move to defend e4.

1 e4 e5 2 f3 Nf6 3 Nc3

Nxe4 doesn't work because of Nxe4. white is ok, but he gave black really easy equality. also, it's pretty hard to castle if black manages to get a bishop onto the g1-a7 diagonal.

It weakens the castle

what's a castle

More often than not I do play 1.d4, but if many GM's have spoken in favour of 1.e4, why would anyone else listen to us "amatuer" players, especially with our limited theoretical knowledge.

More often than not, the fault is with the player, if not always, 1.e4 opens the door to many openings and is/has been used to great effect from masters.   

amateurs can still argue that 1 e4 is not over rated, based on their own experience. 1 e4 is also good for learning tactics and playing open games.

1 d4 is (most of the time) for positional players. although occasionally you might meet a Gruenfeld or Kings Indian. but against the KID, white can play the fianchetto system, which is more positional, and annoys most KID players that like tactics. (like me)