why d4 is better than e4

(If Lucy Liu essayed 1. e4 against me-I'd resign.)

Memorization to some extend is part of the game. I m willing to risk my play vs memorization. Below 2200, playing style is important. Above it, you can play anything vs <2000.

Ok, I'll get to work memorizing every line of the Sicilian & we can settle it over the board Just give me a couple of days, no make that a week I still can't remember which way the Knight moves.

In fact, the last point of Bean's last quote isn't to commit more lines to memory...but rather, to improve other aspects of your play to complement your chosen opening.

Agreed. Dominguez and caruana are monsters playing e4.

pfren wrote:

You must tell the news then to Karjakin, Grischuk, Svidler, Caruana, Dominguez, Jakovenko, Adams, Almasi and a few other 2700+ players which open almost exclusively by 1.e4.

I'll switch to d4 once I reach 1800. For now I'll continue playing Ruy Lopez. Against cicilian I castle queen side and fireworks on both sides.

If anything, they already know the merits of d4, they just prefer playing sexy positions arising from e4 lines...heh.

Thanks, that's precisely I wish to say.

This made me laugh.

"

When I go back home I have many roads to choose from to do the trip. Certainly not infinite, but virtually so (whatever this means). Seems silly to argue over which one trip is the "shortest" when considering the almost infinite possibilities.

What the hell is that logic ?"

After one move each there are 400 possible board positions. After two moves each 71,852. Three moves each aproximately 9 million possible board positions. Four moves each, 315 billion. The total number of chess games is not literally infinite, but it is virtually so.

1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 possible games

(A thousand trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion games).

So obviously one single opening move(be it d4 or e4) can clearly be shown to be superior to another....

Don't know where you live man, but there's a LOT of ways home for you eh?

d4 Rulez! e4 sux! lmao

His point is that it is silly to argue about whether to turn right or left out of the driveway.

Yes, if we make one small mistake going one block in the wrong direction it makes no difference compared to an infinitely long trip. However, if we use the same logic at every step to argue that every move doesn't matter, we will make infinitely many small mistakes, which compared to an infinitely long trip is significant. Therefore, the safest and most efficient thing to do is eliminate all of the infinite errors that we are incurring by not calculating any of the best turns on this infinitely long trip, which we can start doing by deciding which way to turn out of the driveway, and therefore decide whether e4 or d4 is best.

Heh. I got the reference (about not moving at all) but just didn't feel like posting to say so.

8P

I think the opening move says alot about a player actually. Or more specifically, their mood. It's just me, though. Those who are ambidextrious can play either or, at anytime, by whim. Quirky ppl will play anything "just to see" what n how much their opponent is bookedup. Playing e4 does entail knowing some set of variations known to either slight advantage, some risk if one overreaches, or drawish when the Q & major pieces are exchanged.

1. d4, or rather, the formation~1. d4, 2.c4, 3. Nc3, 4. Nf3 can be played vs anything without worry about which line is "fashionable" or having to memorize soo many variations.

As stated elsewhere, i'm an patient, "ground & pound", "slowly but surely" kinda guy.

but your username is najdorf96

If you want an strategic battle, then play the closed ruy Lopez. Karpov made a living out of this set up.

@aijan~heh. I've been using the name since my Aol.com days (since '96...see the connection?). While i do play the Naj as my primary defence, it has nothing to do with my name. (If it gives me any advantage for ppl to think so, it's an happy coincidence!)

8)

(and besides, who says playing a fighting defence like the Sicilian Najdorf doesn't take patience, an grind it out mentality to slowly but surely equalize or outright grab the initiative from white?)

8)

dat true if white plays be2 instead of be3 or bg5

Indeed. I just mean that, overall, i play that way-as white and especially on defense. Because essentially, i don't expect to blow my opponent away in the opening...it's reflected in my play, rather than of the opening itself.