E4, D4 or C4?

Zillions of people will recommend e4.
Some will say d4 is better.
A few will suggest c4.
Almost nobody will suggest NF3 - which is very solid.
/////////////////////////
But try this:
At an early stage in your chess - you're not committed to any particular opening.
Because you haven't invested a lot of time yet.
So try out all four moves on your first move.
Equally. From game to game.
The actual action will depend partly on how your opponent responds.
Find out.
Experiment.
Then after hours or days or weeks ... review the experience. Your way.

I would recommend c4 - just so whoever gets away from e4.
But if black responds to c4 with e5 - then the person playing c4 is not really getting away from the e4 types of positions.
If you only play one system or type of openings at the expense of another -
then opening understanding and objectivity and the openings learning curve - will all be negatively impacted.
Idea: Repertoire. A Repertoire of openings.

I grew a bunch of rating doing e4 Italian with white and c5 sicillian as black when I was around your rating. But now as I am 1700 I do e4 white and french black.

Learn to play something good instead.

There might be a more efficient way of going at the subject of white choosing between the four best options on his move 1.
Half of the time - that player will be playing black.
But white can hit him with up to 20 different choices.
Including 1) d4. Which tends to play differently than e4 - or very differently.
Would black be able to use any of his opening knowledge gained studying and playing 1) e4 openings with white ... against 1) d4. ??
No. Basically not. Its just too different.

To gain insight and ability playing the black pieces meeting 1) d4 by white - play it with white when having white. Some of the time. Play 1) d4.
With black you'll also face 1) Nf3 from time to time and that plays more like 1) d4 than 1) e4 does.
If the idea of investing in just one move with white all the time - is to get out of investment in other openings ... that's not going to work well ...
because half of the time - you'll have black and your opponent isn't going to play 1) e4 all the time.
Idea: don't invest. Experiment instead. Learn and enjoy.
Experiment wide instead of deep. 'Deep' is too akin to 'invest'.

1. c4 & 1.Nf3 are not recommended for Beginner.

1.d4 & 1.e4 are main recommendations for Beginner.

The 2 lines which are often recommended are London (1.d4) & Italian Game (1.e4)

I think I have heard of 1 GM or IM recommending 1.Nf3 to beginners which was probably the only time I ever seen anyone recommend 1.Nf3 to beginners.

The Line which was recommended was King Indian Attack set up with 1.Nf3 as starting move.

I haven’t heard of anyone as of yet recommending 1.c4 to beginners.
No lines have been said

I think 1.c4 & 1.Nf3 are to difficult for beginners.

lots of helpful advice in this forum today -- going to try a few of these suggestions see what happens

1) c4 seems tougher to me - than 1) Nf3.
1) d4 not 'easy' but if Bf4 is going to be played early - then maybe not as tough.
d4 d5 Nf3 Nf6 Bf4. The 'London system'.
But black doesn't have to 'cooperate'.
After d4 he can play Nf6 instead. He can intend d6 - not d5.
If d4 Nf6 c4 - it doesn't seem to be getting 'easier'.
If c5 then - the 'modern Benoni' that could also be heading for the Benko gambit.
But after d4 Nf6 Nf3 instead - its almost like white is asking black ...
"want a London now? If you play d5 now I have Bf4"
/////////////////////
If the game begins 1) d4 Nf6 2) Nf3 - has white made things 'easier' for himself by delaying Nf3 for one move?
I suggest - try out all four first moves with white. Play wide instead of deep.
With black - you're going to be facing all those moves and others too.
///////////////////////
Compadre I believe you about the GM recommendations ...
but what about from the perspective of the beginner player?
And getting early (wide) experience to reference from?
Players have different temperaments too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FW0wt8422c

According to this video - the London move order can be played against anything black does.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dksvHyyI_VoWhite can play his bishop out on move 2 (instead of the common 2) Nf3)
maybe that's worth some discussion.
Anyway - the vid is recommending - get that bishop to f4 before playing e3 ...
which reminds me of Bf5 by black in the Caro-Cann. (in two very different main lines of the Caro)
Note the emphasis on bishop placement.
Again.
And violates 'knights before bishops.' Again.

e4 or d4 is my classic start for the game tho...

The English opening induces interesting and off-kilter middlegame play at early elos. It's mostly useful as a transpositional opening if you're a strategic and positional player, but you need to understand several openings to use it this way. I've transposed from 1.c4 into QGD, QGA lines, the Steiner french, the accelerated panov, the alapin sicilian, and several others.

If you want to be good at the English, you need to brush up on 1.e4 and 1.d4 anyways. May as well start with those if you're a beginner. The English is a great opening for intermediate-advanced level players.

I personally wouldn't recommend the London for beginners as its perfunctory setup stifles the development of opening principles and leads to predictable and tactically dry middlegames. At early elo, it's best to play openings that induce a variety of pawn structures so as to familiarize oneself with new tactical positions. You simply don't get this benefit with the London.

Agreed. Like, why reveal the best opening to all your opponents.

Fischer was no fool; he was likely attempting to sabotage his competition with misinformation

I don’t like the London System with 2. Nf3 because Black has a very annoying line they can play.

Their is a line where Black can try attacking the b2 pawn with their Queen.

In the 2.Nf3 line, White has to play an awkward Nc3 move to deal with the threat. It is playable for white, but I never liked playing that line because white position isn’t the same as normal.

In the 2.Bf4 line, White doesn’t have to play Nc3 because white has an extra move. They delayed Nf3 move so they don’t need to play the Nc3 line and can play pawn c3 instead which is more normal for London. 
Again Both lines are playable and White is fine in either line. The question is more to do with player preference.

Keep in mind, I have Chess rating which hovers between 2k to 2.2k depending on what Chess Website I play on. Some Chess Websites seem weaker vs. others. I recently started playing on Chess.com again so we will see if I can break 2k again or not.

Nevertheless, I already have a chess preference. Most of the lines I like are already established so at this point in my chess career I am not trying to necessarily learn new stuff. If I do learn New stuff I consider it a bonus, My main goal is trying to avoid stuff.

I might be confusing the move orders, but the set up looks something like above. I don’t like it for white. It’s playable for white and position is considered fine for white, but again I don’t like it.

You can sort of see the difference. When white doesn’t play Nf3, it gives them an extra move to play c3 so White Queen is right on time.
———

As far as beginners perspective goes, All these lines are very beginner friendly.

I'm noting that in both examples - black played c5 and white also played e3 before c3.
Makes me wonder if white could have played c3 before e3 - so that he has Q-options in both lines. Early.
Are these positions the closest things to a kind of hybrid of 'Caro-Kann reversed' and 'Slav reversed'?
Well they feature white getting his c-bishop out early ...
unlike in the Colle.
And yes - I think they're 'beginner-friendly' too.
But even Magnus uses the London.
And Ding used the Colle recently. Successfully.

Hi !
Interesting you could get an Alapin from 1) c4 ... I'm not 'claiming' anything. 
Just remarking.

There seems to be some agreement here - some - that beginners should skip 1) c4 to start off. That 1) d4 and 1) e4 should be the priorities.
I kind of agree with this - 1) c4 is not exactly beginner-friendly.
It would be like studying 1) b3 or 1) f4 and various white 'reversed openings' with an extra move ...
For some reason 1) Nf3 is excluded too ...
But what exactly is the line that makes 1) Nf3 beginner-unfriendly?
If the game was going to begin 1) Nf3 d5 c4 ... then 1) Nf3 doesn't look like a good recommendation to beginner/novices ... the Reti opening ... no - not 'user friendly'.
but Point: after 1) Nf3 d5 ... white absolutely Does Not have to play c4 ...
Does Not.
He can even just go 2) d4 and we're back in the primary London move order anyway.
/////////////
After 1) Nf3 ... black can play c5. But so what? Black can do that against 1) e4 too - or even against 1) d4.
What is the Big Knock on 1) Nf3 ...??
Can black be 'unpleasant'?
Try 1) Nf3 d5 d4 and now Bg4. A kind of black 'Trompowsky' ...
Then it could be Cat and Mouse again.
White could try Ne5 - hitting black's Bish at g4 ... and now what?
Is it bad for white?
But black can do that Bg4 in the main London move order too ...

Keep in mind, I don’t like Symmetrical Positions.

A line like above is just boring to me which is why I don’t play c3 as much because it could lead to a symmetrical pawn position if Black trades.

If Black trades in above position, their is an imbalance. The line isn’t really same which makes it more interesting to me. This is why I favored e3 to defend d4 vs. c3 to defend d4.

Also, the Late Queen b6 lines never bothered me.

‘It was the early Queen b6 lines which gave me issues.

In the above position, it was considered “Bad/Not Recommended” for White to trade Queens.

The rule of thumb back when I use to play London system was who ever initiates the Queen Trade is in the wrong because it allows other player the chance to recapture with the A pawn opening up the file for their Rook. It gives Rook activity.
The correct line for White was to have White Queen get pushed back all the way to Qc1 and it was fairly even position. Maybe, Black had little edge, but nothing major.

I was a Rebel back when I use to play London System. I didn’t approve of my Queen being pushed back to c1. I didn’t like my Queen being Bullied back so I use to do the Queen Trade.

People told me I was bad chess player. They said I shouldn’t do it. I straight up ignored them and at no point in my entire London System Career did I ever feel as if opening the Rook File for Black was ever a deciding factor. 
None of these lines were issues - I only had issues with Qb6 line.

Take a look at the position again with what I said above:

- I don’t want a Symmetrical and Boring position

- I want to answer Qb6 with Qb3 and do a “bad” trade - Stubborn Rebel etc.

Do you see? 
Black has a 1 move window when they slip into my Position making it awkward.

Lets say they delay Qb6 by 1 move.

If they delay Qb6 by 1 move and play the Knight move, It gives me enough time to cover everything. Their is no issue because I don’t mind playing that position.

Watch again

Knight c3 or Queen to c1 are the moves for White, but those are not the positions I am trying to get in right. This is why I gave up playing 2. Nf3.

Developing the Knight on King side is causing me these issues because I need an extra move.

I need to play d4 - It takes claim of the center

I need to play Bf4 - The whole point of the London is to play this Bishop out.

I need to play e3 - Playing this move avoids a Symmetrical Position if Black exchanges.

Process of Elimination - Knight to f3 is a “Luxury” move which I don’t have the “Luxury” to play because I need an extra move which means a sacrifice has to be made.

4 moves is what it takes for Black to hit b2.

I only have 4 moves to respond to this idea.

d4, Nf3, Bf4, & e3

The move I chose to give up is Nf3.

This is why I play 2.Bf4

Problem is fixed do you see it?

What if Black delays Qb6 by 1 move and develops Knight.

Than I can develop my F3 knight

Check it out.

Again White can be fine in majority of these lines. 
‘It all comes down to player preference.

The Alapin sicilian is one possible but somewhat uncommon transposition of the symmetrical english. There are a number of possible sicilian lines from the symmetrical.