I've been a 1500 - 1600 blitz player for some time. I always wonder what's better for me to study as a favorite opening: e4 or d4.
I suddenly realized that d4 is way easier to learn about and that anybody with some study can already deliver a balanced game against a player who is a little higher rated... do you guys feel the same way?
1.d4 game flows more smoothly. Black has no way to sharpen the game. In addition to the debut of the black formation is more predictable. No need to waste time on rote learning of openings. The party is becoming longer, and, no, the debut of disasters. The party comes to endgame. Less tactics, more strategy.
Play both.
If with d4 we have more strategy, why do we have so many GMs playing e4, which is so tactical and counterplayable?
the best winning strategy for a random GM
1)randomGM vs weak player - 1.e4 - waiting for the unsufficient knowledge of the theory
- ussualy an easy win without any spent energy on a player
2)rGM vs medium strenght player - 1.d4, c4, Nf3, Nc3 - increasing of the winning chances because of his knowledge that he is not going to lose the game
- medium strenght player is already capable of remembering the concrete lines etc.
3)rGM vs another rGM - e4 - the safest approach nowadays, minimazing the risk of losing the game with white pieces
- after d4, c4, etc...wants to have a game
e4 is better because it is more active and sharper games are better
Learn 1.d4
You will get a comfortable position without having to learn tons of theory.
for e4 you barely need any theory knowledge
I don't know if black really has fewer options to unbalance the game after 1. d4. The Grünfeld, the Benko Gambit, the Tarrasch Defense, the Benoni, the Dutch, the King's Indian or the Budapest are all quite imbalanced openings.
I consider myself as a rather "positional" player (whatever that means...), so if I knew my opponents would only play the Slav or the QGD, I'd play 1. d4 all day. But since there are also all those imbalanced responses, I either try to avoid them by playing sthg like 1. c4 or 1. Nf3 and only transposing into a normal 1. d4 opening when I like to. - Or I just play 1. e4 (as that's the move I always used to play) and try to go into "positional" lines there (like 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Bg5 against the Najdorf).
Learn 1. d4 if you have the patience to play positional chess; else, do things the hard way and learn 1. e4.
