It wasn't that long ago when I was a beginner. I remember people advocating e5, e5! It's the way to go. I tried it for about two weeks then started on the Sicilian and the French. Even now, I don't dare play e5 against anybody for the reason that Black can never completely equalize with accurate play. The Sicilian is very instructive. If you have the time pick it up. But as someone who wants to spend time working on other aspects of my game, I choose the French. The moves flow very well and one just has to follow a basic theme to get a decent position. Then the player can start working on tactics and middlegame strategy and stop worrying too much about the opening. When I used to play e4, I salivated every time I saw e5. I worried when I faced the French or Sicilian. Transpositions, are you really that arrogant?
1.e4 ...
You guys are missing the point.
Whether or not black can equalize out of the opening is completely irrelevant to a beginner as the beginner's games will be decided by how many pieces are hung.
The point of playing e5 is to get a sense for classical development principles and good opening play. The point of e5 is not to get a "=" beside fritz's analysis of your position after ten moves, what difference does it make at that level really?
Also, those of you are saying e5 is a bad response are showing your ignorance. It is THE most solid and maybe the most theory intensive response to e4. It is also the most common response at supergrandmaster level these days.
After he learns a bit about openings he can play whatever system suits him, but thats not really whats being discussed here.
I'll recommend e5 first, cos most of the moves played then are pretty dumbass obvious. as you play, you can read up on say the sicilian, which actually scores quite well, and is actually quite a good defence.
if you don't really like the idea of playing a set opening, then just play off the seat of your pants. Advance, take as much space as possible, guard your pawns, don't double them,etc etc. Or if you like, you could try the Centre Counter or Scandinavian Defence, which goes e4 d5 ed Qxd etc. It's tricky, but it's tenable, and common sense pretty much takes over after that.
ericmittens wrote:
You guys are missing the point. Whether or not black can equalize out of the opening is completely irrelevant to a beginner as the beginner's games will be decided by how many pieces are hung. The point of playing e5 is to get a sense for classical development principles and good opening play. The point of e5 is not to get a "=" beside fritz's analysis of your position after ten moves, what difference does it make at that level really? Also, those of you are saying e5 is a bad response are showing your ignorance. It is THE most solid and maybe the most theory intensive response to e4. It is also the most common response at supergrandmaster level these days. After he learns a bit about openings he can play whatever system suits him, but thats not really whats being discussed here.
So who among the supergrandmasters respond e5 to 1.e4, nowadays?
All of them.
No really...
lol
I was in the same boat years ago. I was new in a club where everyone crsuhed me royally every game. I switched to 1 ... c6, the Caro Kann and have never regretted it. I've dabbled with Sicillians now and then, but the Caro is my #1 defense.
You can try 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6, the Petrov.
One of my new opponents plays the Lengfellner System: 1 e4 d6 2 d4 e6. There is literally nothing written about this system that I can find. It can go into Hedgehogs, Pircs, Sicilians, and probably many other variants.
ericmittens wrote:
You guys are missing the point. Whether or not black can equalize out of the opening is completely irrelevant to a beginner as the beginner's games will be decided by how many pieces are hung. The point of playing e5 is to get a sense for classical development principles and good opening play. The point of e5 is not to get a "=" beside fritz's analysis of your position after ten moves, what difference does it make at that level really? Also, those of you are saying e5 is a bad response are showing your ignorance. It is THE most solid and maybe the most theory intensive response to e4. It is also the most common response at supergrandmaster level these days. After he learns a bit about openings he can play whatever system suits him, but thats not really whats being discussed here.
I agree, but I chose to learn these things by playing the White pieces 
I play e4 exclusively. As Black I did not enjoy being rolled whenever I made a teeny mistake which, as a newbie, I did constantly.
honestly, it's really your choice. Take e5 will be easier to play bcos hopefully most positions should be relatively simple to play through. c5 however gives you more chances to attack, but be careful of your defence.
The french is growing on me also consider the lion e4 d6 d4 e5 some easy positons accor with it and even though you dont like e5 try thinking petroff it like the french allways gives you a decent pawn stucture. bottom line pos and cons for every opening c4 d4 e4 f4
transpositions wrote:
Remember use the defense that feels most comfortable to you. You can learn the theory behind it a little later. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The one that gives you lots of ideas for moves and plans and attack and defense. That you can play naturally out of your own head, instead of being stuck and totally lost. The books can't play your moves for you.
Completely agreed. Try different options and decide after that. My recommend is you are a beginner is to play 1...e5 and try to develop your minor pieces, castle and try to control the centre of the board. ...And then start to play 
Killabeez, come on, black can never completely equalize with e5, that is completely false, your smarter than that. The only opening that really challenges blacks chances of equalizing after 1.e4 e5 is the Ruy Lopez, which can be avoided by playing Petov's defense.
I think black has equalised in any game that finishes 1/2 - 1/2. I believe the berlin defense begins 1.e4 e5! 
It sounded very close to suggesting it is better to gain a losing position than to 'not completely equalise'.
transpositions wrote:
NM-or-bust wrote: Please ignore the people advocating the french, modern, whatever defense. These people advocate these openings becasue they like them, not because they are right for you. The only opening that should be advocated for is 1... e5 because its logical, instructive, & beginner friendly, and ericmittens makes a good point when he says you should play this opening. I personally believe that one should look for the opening that seems closest to their style... P.S. BasicLvrCh8r is completely right. What is transpositions smoking?
Another one of those that believes everything he reads in chess books.
If you are not too chicken to be at the Miami Open and we get paired I will be smokin' you!
Oh that's right you're not even an NM you would probably be playing in one those lower baby sections. Oh yeah don't forget to tip when you're in America eh!
The classifications by transpositions are just wrong.
Classical theory on openings advocates a pawn center. So, e5 and e6 are the most classical. To a lesser extent, c6, c5, and d5 are as well. Why?
e5 clearly establishes a pawn center. It may be the most classical of the black responses to e4. e6 (French Defense) is played with the intention of playing d5 on black's next move, regardless of white's move. Generally white plays d4, black plays d5, and the game goes from there. It is not often that black plays dxe4 just for the sake of trading pawns (it leaves black with the e6 pawn to white's theoretically stronger d4 pawn). A lot of the variations have white playing e5 at some point.
c6 (Caro-Kann Defense, my favorite) is played with the similar intention of playing d5 on black's next move, regardless of white's 2nd move. But, the main line goes e4 c6 d4 d5 Nc3 dxe4 Nxe4, where black does voluntarily give up the d pawn for white's e pawn, leaving white with a stronger pawn center. c5 (Sicilian, very popular) is not exactly classical, but it is probably closer to classical than the hypermodern defenses (d6, g6, b6, a6). The reason is that c5 does control the center, and white's plan often involves d4, when black plays cxd4, and ends up with 2 center pawns to white's single center pawn. But - not my opening, I do know a lot about it, but I don't want to go too deep since other people know it a lot better than I. Oh - d5 is classical, in a sense, since black exchanges right away white's "strong" e4 pawn, at the cost of having black's queen chased around a tiny bit. Not the most popular opening, probably because white gets a small persistent advantage with some simple moves.
The hypermodern concept is to let your opponent set up a pawn center so that you can attack it. The Pirc, Modern, b6, and a6 defenses fall in this category.
e4 d6 d4 Nf6 Nc3 is the beginning moves of the Pirc.
e4 g6 d4 Bg7 is the opening moves of the Modern.
e4 b6 d4 Bb7 is probably what black plays after ...b6
e4 a6 d4 b5 (followed by Bb7) is probably what black plays after ...a6.
Hope this helps!
-- Ozzie
Find the opening you are most comfortable with . Don't play complex openings that look cool but you are not sure how to play in them ( right english?)
If u want to test out opening lines , you can always test it out against a Little Chess Partner or some other program instead of testing it in the game
c5 or d5, never e5 or e6
noobs=...e5
ballers=...c5
Kasparov=baller
1...e5, and black resigns.