Should a beginner play d4 or e4 first?

See, this is debatable.  Many coaches insist on e4, but there are MANY traps and tricks and pitfalls with e4. 

 

With d4 (Queen Pawn), a beginner can bypass most tricks and play a solid game if taught the opening correctly.

 

What do you think?

 

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e4 ... more specifically Italian game. I think learning the Italian early helps in learning all other openings because Italian teaches basic tactics and strategies.

 

queen pawn games are easier though.

I think I'd recommend 1. e4, too, since beginners are told to get a center pawn duo (e4 and d4) as soon as possible, and with 1. e4 that d4 push is possible even immediately (though not recommended quite so soon), whereas e4 is not possible (or at least not safe) for a while in a 1. d4 opening. Also, 1. e4 is the most popular move, so right away the beginner can relate to and compare his/her games to a higher number of games seen.

My friend used to say, a beginning chessplayer should begin by laying 1.e4, at least until he learns tactics.

But he was always very dogmatic, that way.

Me, I have almost never opened a game with 1.e4. Only becuse I always prefered my games a little slower paced. So i chose 1.c4, and still use that to this day.

So I would say play what you think would suit you.

If you are a fan of a certain GM, (So or Naka or Anand or whoever) you can just play what they play, to say you are in the fan club.

If all else fails, flip a coin.

So I would say play what you think would make you comfortable.

I used to play e4 and then was beaten a lot.  I switched to d4 & had better games & won a few.

How is d4 safer? A lot of openings involving kingside attacks (KIA, Dutch, even Budapest, some lines of Nimzo/Bogo) are justified. How many openings can you think of after 1. e4 where if white castles short he is coming under attack?

I'm essentially a beginner (at least in terms of skill level and knowledge) and I prefer e4.  My father in law, who is a much better player, warns me to play d4.  He may be right, but I get into trouble a lot with d4.  I suppose I could work on it more, like every other aspect of my game.  I usually end up with e4 Italian.  If I switched to d4, which is (or are) the most common openings for d4, for a beginner?

Play them at the same time! Then you get a free move!

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The approach that worked for me was to play over a bunch of games arranged by opening and choose the opening whose games excited me.  It's as good as anything, I think.  There are no safe openings or openings immune to tricks and traps, so you might as well play something you enjoy.

 

The London System (queen pawn opening) is almost entirely immune to traps and tricks.  It is perfect for a beginner.  Also, it has the advantage of being excellent against indian defenses.

Magnus Carlsen played the London System numerous times recently and won brilliant games.

 

Look up the London System.  It is almost immune to tricks and traps.  The World Champion employed it recently in many games and won almost all of them....imagine that.

Trust me, it is a very simple opening to play.   Look it up okay?

So you're answering your own question

I will definitely have a look.  Like I said, I'm still a noob to chess, but I have actually been improving slowly over time.  I know a tiny amount of stuff to do with e4 openings, but even less with d4.  So thanks.  Good luck!

Play sharp lines, gambits etc. The beginner will lose often whatever they play and is learning anyway, so you may as well discover the beauty and richness of tempo and sacrifice etc etc whilst you are learning rather than trying to play it safe.

Um, what do you mean by traps???? The London has many traps for white. If you play the wrong move order or make a blunder, YOU FELL INTO A TRAP. 

Look at how easy it is to play the london system.  This game is me (as white of course) against a 1700.  This is a game I just played a couple minutes ago.  Time control was 15 minutes with 10 second delay.  I had 15 minutes left at the end and he was absolutely crushed.  The game is below.....

 

Beginners tend to prefer e4 as it leads to more familiar positions (most beginners are often taught first the Ruy Lopez, or 4 Knights game). However, when they come across situations and encounter openings such as the Sicilian, they often panic and end up losing.

This was the same for my case when I first started playing: I absolutely flunked up my Sicilian. Fortunately my brother, who is better and much higher rated than I am, taught me the basic opening lines for most openings that start with 1.e4, such as the Pirc, Sicilian, Scandinavian, etc. Occasionally, when on the black side of the board, I also play these defences (Sicilian and Pirc are my favourites).

Hence I am usually more confident with 1.e4.

This is the Deep analysis from chess.com for the london system game I played above.