1.Nf3 has a surprising amount of poison

I just starting playing this randomly, knowing almost nothing, and actually white gets some incredibly nagging advantages.

Not a big advantage, but a noticeable one that seems to linger forever and ever and ever.

This was what first caught my eye. Black played, IMO, really well, and is rewarded with a joyless endgame.

Of course it's not hard to be equal. Black can just copy your moves. g3 g6, Nf3 Nf6, Bg2 Bg7 etc. but even in these cases the game will eventually develop play.

Anyway, a well prepared 1.Nf3 is seeming like a really strong opening for under 2200.

Even at a higher level, there’s a reason Kramnik’s Catalan is hard to beat, even if he doesn’t always start from Nf3, the structure in your first game is what he goes for 

Here's one of my games from an old OTB tournament. It starts with 1. e4 but immediately transposes into a 1. Nf3 2. g3 3. Bg2 line.

For sure this isn't like... a solution to chess or something

Black gets playable games.

But as a life long 1.e4 player I'm just sort of... shocked at how easily I can get positions I like the look of for white. I'm not aware of many of the transposition's names because I've never played things like the grunfeld, slav, KID, etc from either color.

Black played shockingly bad, that's why....

Nf3 on a early stage must be avoided if you aim for a QGD Exchange for example. I like it, and although I've never played 1. Nf3, I've had to switch from QID to Nimzo.

I just randomly started trying it out. I don't know the lines. Please post some good lines for black, it will help me learn more about it

Ah the old reverse Grunfeld try! In that first game tell me you werent hoping for 4...cd 5 Nxd4 e5 6 Nxc6 bc 7 c4... (At least thats what an old patzer like me hopes for, though they rarely play it )

Well, yeah, that would be nice

I actually didn't realize this was a reversed grunfeld, but ok, I see d4 makes it like that.

I guess d3 would be some kind if KIA/KID setup.

What other choices does white have? I was thinking c4+d4 might become a catalan.

I just don't feel that a knight can attack a square with the same force as a pawn, thus I move a pawn first.

It also takes away my ability to play Ne2 or (Nh3 to Nf2) and blocks the f-pawn too early.

What do you play in case of 1.Nf3 d5 Because if you go 2.d4 then black goes 2...c5 and the game is drawish

I don't play 2.d4, but even so, that looks like it's becoming a tarrasch, which ok, maybe that's drawish at a very high level, but it will have tons of play for people like us.

Sorry not following, how is it drawish? Seems like only c3 is drawish? dc and e3 both unbalance the pawn structure in different ways and Bf4 or g3 seem to go in either a tactical or positional direction? (I really am asking, I assume there is something I am missing)

I like 1. Nf3. Lots of options to play in centre, king side or queenside. In this game I played with with Nimzovitch attack. (I use hedgehog pawn structre with d3, e3 to prevent his counter play in the centre while I am firing on his king side) 

 Historical Note: That small center of e3 d3 or e6 d6 is known as Paulsen Pawns (yeah im single handily trying to bring it back!), seen in about 100 lines with c4 or c5 to get the cfile, but I really like your idea of using it to keep the center closed then launching a kingside attack. Maybe its an old idea and I just never noticed it? Either way kudus! (I wish I could play g60 the way you play 1 0!)

Looked like a pretty normal 1.f4 game. You even did the Qe1 maneuver. With the pawn on c2 I wouldn't call it a hedgehog, but anyway, thanks for an example game.

Well, in my own theory, 

1. King Side attack is more successful if the centre is closed . 

2. If your king is being attack, open the centre or exchange pieces (rather than soley defense).

In everyone else's theory too.

So yeah, d3 is useful to be able to meet d4 with e4.

You are welcome!