Playing 1.e4

Hi everybody, how are you? I have a really simple question for you. I want to change my white opening 1.d4 to 1.e4. How can i adapt to this as fast as possible? And which black replies should i study? Thank you very much.

If you play e4 you will find that many opponents will play c5. You also have to be prepared for e5, and to a lesser extent e6.

The 7 most critical responses to learn in order of importance:

1...c5 - There are a bajillion Sicilians to know.  Even if you don't play the open Sicilian, the non-forcing nature of most anti-Sicilians gives Black numerous sound options, so going Anti doesn't solve your problem

1...e5 - Again, multiple possibiilities.  Against 2.Nf3, you have the Petroff, Philidor, and Main Line Open Games.  Agaisnt 2.Nc3, you have the positional 2...Nf6 and the tactical/aggressive 2...Nc6.  Against the King's Gambit (unsound), you have accepting it and declining it, etc.

1...e6 - French Defense

1...c6 - Caro-Kann Defense

1...d6 - Unknown, but most common is Pirc or Philidor Defense

1...g6 - Modern Defense

1...Nf6 - Alekhine's Defense

Suggestions can be found in:

Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)

http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html

Chris Baker's A Startling Chess Opening Repertoire

http://www.theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/more-nco-gambits-and-repertoires

John Emms's Attacking with 1.e4

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627003909/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen29.pdf

http://www.theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/one-book-repertoires-online-bargain

Beating 1 e4 e5 by John Emms

The King’s Gambit by John Shaw

http://www.chessvibes.com/?q=review-the-king%E2%80%99s-gambit

The Ruy Lopez: Move by Move by Neil McDonald (2011)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627022042/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen153.pdf

Kaufman's original repertoire book, The Chess Advantage in Black and White

https://web.archive.org/web/20140626223458/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen62.pdf

http://www.theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/in-the-beginning-there-was-theory

Sam Collins's An Attacking Repertoire for White

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627122005/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen66.pdf

Neil McDonald's Starting Out 1.e4

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627032909/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen89.pdf

http://www.theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/opening-books-en-masse-part-3

Chess Openings for White, Explained by Alburt, Dzindzichashvili & Perelshteyn (2006)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627032909/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen89.pdf

https://web.archive.org/web/20140626210017/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen132.pdf

http://www.theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/good...good...good...disastrous

A Chess Opening Repertoire for Blitz and Rapid by Evgeny and Vladimir Sveshnikov

Coming soon:

Playing 1.e4 - Sicilian & French by John Shaw

Playing 1.e4: Caro-Kann, 1...e5 & Minor Lines by John Shaw

A Simple Chess Opening Repertoire For White by Sam Collins

The problem is your rating, there are a lot of people in your rating range that know nothing about opening theory and even the ones that know usually play some pretty offbeat opening, so at your level you will find anything from main lines Sicilian and Ruy Lopez to the Scandinavian.

I take a different aproach, you cannot possibly study all the openings and variations, so go play a game, see what opening your oponent plays against you and after the game take a look at it. Little by little you will improve your opening knowlegde.

So, study the first few moves of the main openings (Sicilian, Ruy Lopez, French and Caro-Kann) and go play, maybe your oponent will play a Najdorf, then after the game you take a look at the Najdorf, so you are prepared for the next time someone plays the Najdorf and each time someone plays the Najdorf you study a little bit further, maybe they played a variation you weren't aware of, so study it.