Stop playing 1.e4
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Where would f4 get you?
The possibilities are almost endless. So trying new openings is strongly recommended.
I like the d4 opening I can control the center of the board.
Aug 10, 2007
0
#24
jona004 wrote: Set FRITZ up at the start of a game and put it on infinate analysis and it suggests 1.e4 everytime.
I'm not sure, but I think that if you configure Fritz's reference database with a database where white wins 60% of the games with 1. h4, Fritz will play 1. h4! I like Fritz, but I don't think we can use its first move as the absolute truth about opening theory.
i have to agree that i'm also getting sick of playing e4. it's good sometimes but after that it's all just what your opponent does that really matters. a good opening is important though but you dont want to get carried away with your oppening and not think about what your opponent is going to do afterwards. the opening is still one of the most important area in a game though.
like most of us know, majority of games played with 1. e4 lead to open games and 1. d4 lead to close games. just a matter of choosing which one you're at ease with. 
jona004 wrote: Set FRITZ up at the start of a game and put it on infinate analysis and it suggests 1.e4 everytime.
Computers still rely on opening books alot, because they don't have the hundreds of years of experience that players do have.
After a few minutes of infinite analysis, Rybka gives me 1. d4, 1. Nf3, 1. Nc3 and 1. g3 as +0.09, and only then 1. e4 as +0.07. So if that analysis even means anything, it doesn't even prefer 1. e4.
RichardHayden wrote: fair_and_equal wrote: Where would f4 get you?
f4 is known as Bird's Opening and is very playable. It avoids the Sicilian and the French. Many people play e4 thinking they will play the Ruy Lopez, Scotch or similar, but very rarely get to do so because of Black's first move. Bird's Opening gives you a better chance to play on your term!
Hey, I've just talked myself into having another look at this opening
That's also the main reason why I like the Scandinavian as black so much. After 1. e4 d5 I get Scandinavian in 99% of my games (which should be my territory) and only very occasionally someone tries the Blackmar-Diemer, or plays something like 2. Nc3 or 2. e5. Objectively, the Sicilian may be better, but after 1. e4 c5 white can play dozens of Anti-Sicilians (Alapin, Morra, Wing Gambit, Grand Prix, Closed, even 2. a3!? etc.) which you all have to be prepared for.
With the Bird's it's about the same. After 1. f4 the opening choice is already very limited. You'll get either some Reversed Dutch system, or a Sicilian Grand Prix formation where white can play e4 when he wants to, or you face a From's Gambit which is also ok for white if played correctly. Also only few players know the opening, so if you are prepared, you'll still have a good chance of an advantage out of the opening.
I'm sticking with three starter moves to keep an open mind! 1e4 1d4 1c4
I'd say it's definitely worth expanding your repertoire of openings, and it is true that playing something less expected could set your opponent off-track from the beginning if they're relying on their stock defences. Try it--what's the worst that can happen?
Aug 11, 2007
0
#31
SANGUINIU wrote: jona004 wrote: Set FRITZ up at the start of a game and put it on infinate analysis and it suggests 1.e4 everytime.
I'm not sure, but I think that if you configure Fritz's reference database with a database where white wins 60% of the games with 1. h4, Fritz will play 1. h4! I like Fritz, but I don't think we can use its first move as the absolute truth about opening theory.
Aug 11, 2007
0
#32
jona004 wrote: SANGUINIU wrote: jona004 wrote: Set FRITZ up at the start of a game and put it on infinate analysis and it suggests 1.e4 everytime.
I'm not sure, but I think that if you configure Fritz's reference database with a database where white wins 60% of the games with 1. h4, Fritz will play 1. h4! I like Fritz, but I don't think we can use its first move as the absolute truth about opening theory.
It does if you don't configure anything.
It really depends on white or black. Most people I've play seem to like Lopez's opening which just so happens to used e4 so you free up Q and Bishop to allow pins other wise you limit your self with back row movement with anything other than e4. Move a knight first if you're sick of seeing it LOL... Comfort in your game can only help you out.
I find more success as white with the Queen's gambit. If you want to see a neat system for white, look up the Larsen attack and see some of the victories he got with it in the 60s.
d4 is better for positional play, less tactical surprises, good understanding of the endgame can be quite rewarding.
e4-> The King's Pawn opening move is both popular and logical. It controls the center, opens lines for both the Queen and the Bishop, and usually leads to an open game in which tactics, rather than slow maneuvering, predominates.
d4->opening move is somewhat slower than the e4, because white will not be able to castle for three more moves. Its advantage is that it gives white more control over tactical surprises and often provides more lasting initiative and pressure.
jona004 wrote:
Set FRITZ up at the start of a game and put it on infinate analysis and it suggests 1.e4 everytime.
That's a joke. Even Rybka 3 is not completely reliable at the opening phase. There are many cases where the engine initially prefers a certain move or gives a certain evaluation, then quickly realizes that it's wrong a few moves later.
If Fritz can figure out the opening, why is it still using an opening book? Why not just let it calculate on its own and "solve the opening" from scratch?
Apr 1, 2021
0
#39
Yes. Lower-rated players are generally less prepared against the closed openings.
