d4 is super tactical down several different lines, but it is partly up to the second player to decide if it will be a sharp game or not.
1.e4 vs 1.d4 for beginners
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Interestingly, the amazing GM Boris Gelfand said that 1.e4 is just not as good as 1.d4 at higher levels of play. He may be a tad biased but he might be referencing the concept that BECAUSE 1.e4 isn't defended that black can equalize in the open game (1...e5) by countering in the center with an eventual, well timed ...d5! 1.d4 is more mature and patient. It also leads to a lasting advantage in every line if played correctly. 1.e4 has way too many lines that equalize easily for black. ((Yet, I've played 1.e4 in 80% of my games for over thirty years. So I'm not knocking anyone. But I've been trying hard to play 1.d4!))
I play the Sicilian as black and have all of my life, but it is far riskier than 1...e5. I've been planning to devote the rest of my life to 1...e5 against strong competition because it's easier, safer and has a much smaller set of sub variations. Other defenses to 1.e4 are fine but always riskier. (Notice how almost every super GM today plays 1...e5!)
Lastly, most GM's have given up 1.e4 and the ones who haven't have been Labeled "the most Bloodthirsty" - Yes 1.e4 was played in almost every game of the recent 2016 world championship but we cannot go only by how they prep for each other.
My opinion (as a 2000 rated player) 1.d4 is absolutely the way to go if you are planning to start fresh. There is simply more to go with and the sub variations require far less memorization.
Good point Max!
Mar 21, 2017
0
#25
d4 makes it harder to screw up in the opening, and lets a beginner understand some of the finer aspects of the game without losing to a tactic on move four.
1.e4 is vast! Complex and for a want of a better word "picky". Every move seems to hinge a hairs breath away from disaster. It's been hammered out too. How many Max Lange and Kings Gambit lines have been analysed to death back 100 years ago? Max makes a good point 1.e4 is essential to the understanding of young developing players. The laws of chess are on full display with 1.e4! Plus, everyone other than worlds strongest PLAY 1.e4 and one must understand it to confront it as black.
Mar 21, 2017
0
#27
Play either but concentrate on development. Try not to move any piece twice before moving every piece once unless there is no choice. Development and castling your king to safety is a lot more important than d4/e4 differences. So is counting.
"... For players with very limited experience, I recommend using openings in which the play can be clarified at an early stage, often with a degree of simplification. To accomplish this safely will take a little study, because you will have to get used to playing wiith open lines for both sides' pieces, but you can't eliminate risk entirely in the opening anyway. ... teachers all over the world suggest that inexperienced players begin with 1 e4. ... You will undoubtedly see the reply 1 ... e5 most often when playing at or near a beginner's level, ... After 2 Nf3, 2 ... Nc6 will occur in the bulk of your games. ... I recommend taking up the classical and instructive move 3 Bc4 at an early stage. Then, against 3 ... Bc5, it's thematic to try to establish the ideal centre by 4 c3 and 5 d4; after that, things can get complicated enough that you need to take a look at some theory and learn the basics; ... Of course, you can also play 1 d4 ... A solid and more-or-less universal set-up is 2 Nf3 and 3 Bf4, followed in most cases by 4 e3, 5 Be2 and 6 0-0. I'd rather see my students fight their way through open positions instead; however, if you're not getting out of the opening alive after 1 e4, this method of playing 1 d4 deserves consideration. ... a commonly suggested 'easy' repertoire for White with 1 Nf3 and the King's indian Attack ... doesn't lead to an open game or one with a clear plan for White. Furthermore, it encourages mechanical play. Similarly, teachers sometimes recommend the Colle System ..., which can also be played too automatically, and usually doesn't lead to an open position. For true beginners, the King's Indian Attack and Colle System have the benefit of offering a safe position that nearly guarantees passage to some kind of playable middlegame; they may be a reasonable alternative if other openings are too intimidating. But having gained even a small amount of experience, you really should switch to more open and less automatic play. ..." - IM John Watson in a section of his 2010 book, Mastering the Chess Openings, Volume 4
When you play 1. e4, the pawn is not defended.
When you play 1. d5, the pawn is defended.
When you play 1.e4 the pawn is not being attacked.
When you play 1.d4 the pawn is not being attacked.
When you play 1.d5 you've made an illegal move.
Obviously 1. d5 is a typo, and you know what I meant.
While YOU'RE being a technical douche, 1. d4 isn't being attacked either. ;)
Other than that, nothing I said was wrong. 1. e4 is more open and 1. d4 is more closed.....smartass.