True or False Chess is a Draw with Best Play from Both Sides

No problem, I have the opposite PoV, having largely forgotten that double-spaced exists after college/high school.  I will use 1.25 or line spacing in some Word docs, though.  Just enough not to look cramped.

sounds fair enough i suppose

still though, our short “unexplained” posts can easily get us muted.

I just use whatever spacing LaTeX uses by default.

This is for those interested.  At the highest levels of correspondence chess White does not like to open 1. e4  as it is known that both the Petroff [1. e4   e5  2. Nf3   Nf6]   and the Berlin Defense to the Ruy Lopez equalizes with no chance for White to win. 

Also Black can chose to play the French Defense [1. e4  e6] and will get a fully equal game [with no chance for White to win with the Winawer line  [1. e4   e6  2. d4   d5   3. Nc3   Bb5!]

If White opens with  1. d4    Black can play the Grunfeld to obtain a full equal game with no chance for White to win.  Grunfeld   1. d4   Nf6  2. c4   g6   3. Nc3   d5!]

Remember this is at the highest levels of chess... 

1. c4?

Prometheus   Good question.  I am not sure what the equalizing defense is against 1. c4  ?  I will ask soon.

And the Sicilian and Caro-Kann.

Optimissed    All the major openings are draws with best play. , What many talk about or ask about is really about   games played without chess engines and  what are the best openings or how good are various openings? Playing against 1. e4  I agree that the Sicilian [1. e5  c5] gives Black the best winning chances. But if you are a 1. e4  player and you are a strong player--you

have to hope your opponent does not play the  Ruy Lopez Berlin Defense or the Petroff where it is starting to happen that your equally very strong opponent will play one of of those 2 responses to 1. e4? [And recently this line of the French Defense 1. e4  e6  2. d4  d5  3. Nc3  Bb4] is also a forced [but complicated ] draw for Black.

I wrote a book on the Ponziani  1. e4  e5  2. Nf3  Nc6  3. c3.  Black can force a draw with one very specific and very complicated line.  In fact in an exhibition match I took the Black side of the Ponziani and won from a GM here on chess.com!?

Back in the day the Center Counter 1. e4  d5  was quite unpopular. I wrote a book on that opening and also used that opening in the Finals of the United States Correspondence Championship and played 4 games with Black and won all 4 games. But then people started playing the Center Counter [also known as the Scandinavian]  and people started writing books on that opening and the opening was rehabilitated.  But now --many years later I say it is a dubious opening if one knows the best lines for Black!

Openings have been analyzed so several books are written on one opening or even on one opening subline and then the correspondence players take this several steps further with their analysis.

For 99% of the players  any often played opening is just fine-- playing without a chess engine.  You have to pick an opening that is suitable for your chess style.

I used to be a 1. e4 player.  Now after many years I play 1. d4  or sometimes  1. Nf3  or sometimes

. c4  I know the defenses to 1. e4   I am on a super strong vote chess team and they like to play 1.d4  as opening move and I have learned a lot about how to play 1, d4 plus sometimes 1. c4  or 1. Nf3.  Our vote chess team has several strong masters and each move we sometimes have a debate and analysis for several pages! We have a very long winning streak. Always playing to win when we have White or Black and play the strongest teams we can find who dare play against us. But this is practical play with out chess engines but we do use data bases.

now with my age--I* only play on the vote chess team but for each move I sometimes spend many hours of calculation/analysis.

Considering how smart hedgehogs could be, it's possible that whichever side adopts the Hedgehog formation will win the game by force!!

Rocky  Yes, that is possible!

oh he!! Why not 1.b4 and hava banana ?

my question is...is chess960 a draw ?...maybe exploring a qualified variant will help reveal stuff in conventional. 

1. b4  is a inferior opening in my opinion.

After 1. e4   c5   2. Nf3   a6  the best practical move for White  is 3. c3  .  The reason is that the early  move   2. .... a6  does not work well against the 1. e4   c5  2. c3   system.  So after

1. e4  c5  2. Nf3  a6  3. c3  White gets a little more than his  usual first move opening advantage.

So White would have good practical chances. However if Black defends perfectly--it is probably still a draw? 

It is true. People said long ago that if both sides play the best moves, it's a draw. But Carson (Has an opening named after him and was a GM) said that he will play moves that are not the best, but still win 2/3 games in a tournament and will get a better score that having three draws.

Alex  do you really think winning 2/3 of your games in  tournaments is all that special? [but of course it is better than winning half of your games!?]  What was the opening named after Carson? And who is Carson??

Optimissed  All I am saying is that  1. e4   c5  2. Nf3   a6  3. c3 gives White a little more than his usual opening advantage.  Of course there are zillions of lines but here is one example line: