Should e4 be less focused on for beginner and intermediate players?

I tried a reversed Closed Sicilian and it all went downhill when I lost control of the light squares. In a miracle situation, they blundered on move 20, but after misevaluating a tactic and getting low on time, I had to force a three-fold repetition.

I tried some e4 games without learning any theory and it sort of proved my point, sort of contradicted it.

#63
1 e4 is more natural to play.

e4 and d4 would make sense for beginners to be in the centre of the board and learn the combinations thereafter.

Watching the high elo players battling it out in speed chess I observed curiously that after learning most of the opening repertoire with e4,d4 and c4 the chess doesn’t really begin until almost the middle game. So I watch for the pause, when finally they begin to play.An opening like b4 changes that dynamic. The polish seems to start the chess from the first moves. The advantage for black is only best if you know the combinations thereafter

Thank-you!

it’s easy to play when white gets everything he wants:

1. Control of the center and long diagonal.

2. Castled King with a Fianchetto Bishop.

2. Tempi on the Queen 

Actually, for me, I find having to work to defend the king's pawn much less natural than having the d pawn defended by the queen or the c pawn just not as vulnerable to attack.

It appears to be that Alpha Zero liked c4/nf3/d4 more than e4, yet Stockfish thinks that e4 is best. I guess they both have a different style of play.

Agreed.

The "best by test" thing is arrant nonsense. I believe it's a mistake to focus so much on 1.e4 for beginners.