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 e4 or d4 opening preferences?I suppose my point in the thread was that... when you "were" playing with the e or d openings....which did you prefer "at the time" and which one did you have more success with? I have a reason to ask this. Opinions will vary greatly,but in theory and for learning purposes the d4 or e4 openings can and many times do have distinctive characteristics that separate one from the other. Let me back up a bit in my story,however,before I explain.In High School I was in the chess club and during that time in 1972,Fischer was playing Spassky.Now,as we all know,Fischer was the 1.e4 guy and the guy that stuck primarily with that opening and coined the phrase...."1.e4....Best by test".So with that famous match going on,it then was only proper and fitting that everyone wanted to copy the US hero's moves....e4.So everyone played this e4 opening.....all EXCEPT ME!I was the "thorn" stabbing at all the chess players in the club back then!And because all these players became brain froze to e4,when they encountered my 1.d4 "antisicilian" response or my Trompowski moves they became so lost on the board that many folded in less than 20 moves.Some players even refused to play me and simply take a forfeit loss!No wonder I had the first place trophy 4 years in a row! I have self analyzed my games over the years and let a GM or two at the Manhattan Chess club(now closed)take a look at my High School games and college chess games.After brewing and stewing things up,looking over both my e4 and d4 openings...we both came to a few conclusions: 1.d4 games many times more swifty leads to more "closed"type of games and 1.e4 many times tends to lead to quicker open type of games.Well so what you may ask? Well,it appeared to both the GM and myself that I excelled and learned faster,stronger and better at the game because most of my games with d4 had more of a closed and complex structure to the pieces,pawns ect.Due to this closed nature of the game,it required my brain to come up with deeper tactical insight and playing ability as opposed to an e4 game that statistically tended to open up faster and did not many times require nearly the same set of skills,even on a positional level.Now keep in mind,I was perhaps a 1600 player and my opponents were perhaps around 1400-1500 on average.So what I say about e4 and d4 does not necessarily correspond to 2200 players which tolls a much higher level of strategy.I'm speaking of the "learning curve"I was going through at the time and my other opponents. So in summary,its my opinion that studying the d4 openings first in closed positions has more learning value over the e4 openings because you are dealing with a closed position more often than not.The tactical value in closed positions can develop,for example,a better set of skills with your Knights,in order that you can visualize that fork better in tight positions as opposed to a fully open game under the e4 umbrella.The semi slav/anti-meran can have very complex positions.Just like the Russians throwing a baby into the water to learn how to swim and swim fast,I believe in the d4 openings for initial learning...then on to 1.e4!Now opinions will vary on that.Some players will say,no study the open positions first and then move on to more closed positions.I say no to this,because I believe that it is better to sharpen your skills with the more complex pawn chain configurations and tighter closed positions for brain training to hone your skills to higher plateau levels,quicker.In any case,many players are not comfortable with the Sicilian response to 1.e4,so playing 1.d4 has its advantages.In addition,let me add that 1.d4 is one of my favorite ways to respond(much more than 1.e4) due to the fact that "theory"and book lines can be more avoided in games like the Trompowski(1.d4,Nf6 2.Bg5).This forced my opponent to "think on his own" rather than follow some Ruy Lopez line 35 moves deep! Below are some things to keep in mind with many differences that become apparent with e4 vs d4 opening,so the style of your play can change radically: 1.e4 tends to lead toward play with the center free, or open of pawns. Hence, the definition of "open". 2.e4 e5 generally leads to fully open games. These are often marked by free ranging piece play in the center. Generally, castling early is absolutely essential when the center is fully open. 3.e4 vs most other lines generally leads to semi-open games, often with one central pawn traded off each. The play in the center is usually marked by the pawn structure being in flux for several moves. 4.d4 d5 generally leads to closed games. This term suggests that the central pawns remain in tact through most of the opening. The pieces generally position themselves to prepare for a central pawn break. The king is generally safer in the center for a few moves longer in closed positions. Closed positions are considered a bit tougher to play because they can be opened up at any time while open positions are rarely closed back up. 5.The final major category, semi-closed positions generally refers to 1.d4 vs anything but 1...d5. These are quite similar to the closed positions, but just as the semi-open positions, generally have a greater range of pawn structures. 1.c4 usually results in semi-closed positions. 6.Transpositions between different types of openings do occur, but it's relatively rare to have a fully closed game from 1.e4 or a fully open position from 1.d4 Full link of thread from past club: gameknot.com |
