Is e3 becoming more popular?

I have noticed in a lot of my recent games (both live and online) that my oponents are opening with e3. I have seen comments on other threads that e3 is a "misclick" move.

This may be true in some cases for live chess but in online chess no move is made unless the submit button is pressed so it seems unlikely my oponent has made that move in error.

I'd be interested in hearing what other people think about e3. Is it becoming more common? Is it a viable option to e4?

No to the ubiquity or no to the viability? Or both??

Is it playable?: Yes

Is it good compared to e4?: No

Is it becoming more common?: I doubt it, popularity of an opening is usually indicative of what is being played at the highest level. As far as im aware none of the top players are using 1.e3.

I know that top-level players don't use it but you often find openings being used on here that are not used at the highest levels.

But are they used as much as the openings which ARE used at top level? no.
Patzer see, Patzer do.

That's not very polite, is it?

Maybe not, but it's true. The ammount of amatuers who attempt to play openings such as the najdorf, grunfeld, kings indian etc is astounding. WHy do they play them? simple, because famous players like fischer and kasparov used them.

You make a good point but I think it is Silman who says that you need to take a couple of openings and play them even if you keep losing with them. He says that only by persevering with them and studying why you keep losing will you learn to master them.

It has an element of momentary surprise, which can throw your opponent completely off his stride if he's already a bit unhinged, but otherwise it's weak.

You have to ask yourself what does 1.e3 actually do or even intend?  Not a whole frig of a lot I would suggest. My experience is that plebs who play 1.e3 usually end up playing d4 sooner rather than latter and commence with bogging up the dark squares by playing the Stonewall attack or that other sparkling jem of attacking chess, the Collie Opening. There are some out there in weird and wacky land play 1.e3 to intend obscure gambits based around f4 sacing pawns f4, e3 & d2. Need not worry, they are junk and sensible development should easily blunt what attack white thinks he (or she) might have.

1.e3 might be a good trick against an opponent who never plays 1.e4 with white. After 1.e3 e5 2.e4 we actually have a reversed 1.e4 e5

Otherwise 1.e3 was played by Nimzowitsch to achieve a QID setup with white which is also a case in 1.b3

In my opinion 1.e3 is a bit more flexible compared to 1.b3 because of transposition tricks like 1.e3 e5 2.d3 d5 3.d4 and white plays a regular French

it's just a blitz move.

For the sake of clarity I would like to point out that I am not the one who is playing 1. e3 merely that I have come across it quite a bit in my last few games.

It is true that I have not yet attained the heights that you have, but I do not consider myself a complete beginner and I have never felt the need to play odd moves in the hopes of unsettling my oponents.

Haven't played it yet, but I might. As a mouse slip.

As far as playing black systems as white, there are more efficient ways if you want to increase your loss rate.

Even I've made some blatantly bad moves and clicked the "submit" button, only to realize "Oh My God - why did I do that???"

So even having to do the extra step of clicking a button to have a move get executed, doesn't stop people from making gross mistakes.

I agree with you and I have done the same myself, but 1. e3 is the opening move: surely a player would take a little thought before playing it?

I used to try opening with 1.e3 2.d3

It's similar to how beginners open 1.a4 with 2.Ra3 or b3, d3, f3, h3.  This is what happens when you only know the movement rules.

Yeah, i totally agree. I just keep hanging my Queens and Rooks, and being back rank mated because i didn't take the time to doublecheck.

And for the OP, at your level (which is also my level) there are lots of casual players who are just learning, so they try different things because either they don't know better or are trying to use a "trap" they just discovered from youtube, I'm not saying there's a trap involving playing e3 first by the way.

It's certainly an opening move albeit "dubious", but stated doubts that someone would do that by mistake given the need to click the "submit" button. Just pointing out that people can still make mistakes even when given the opportunity to reconsider their choice.