TL Chess Match 4 - Page 7

It's the opening I worked with most of the time, and one of the most commonly known

I'm a d4 player myself. That said, I don't know if some of the slower, positional games from d4 would be best against a single person - I think that our strength might be in calculations and that he might have the edge in a tactical fight. I'd be fine with e4 too, though I won't be able to help too much with the opening.

Here's what I wrote earlier.
To expand slightly: I'd like to play Bird's opening because it leads to fun games, while still being quite playable. I'll try my best to make the case for each of these points.

1. Fun games.
"Fun" is subjective, but here are the characteristics of Bird's opening that makes me say that it leads to fun games.

a) It leads to active positions. Specifically, f4, more than any other mainstream opening, unbalances the game. By playing f4 immediately, White weakens his Kingside, but at the same time, he strengthens his control of that side of the board. Black often ends up leaving the Kingside to White and countering on the Queenside. The result is often a position where one side is strong where the other is weak, and vice versa.

Positions like that are fun to play, because you constantly have either an attack or a defense to pursue--often both at the same time. (Not infrequently, the game comes down to what we'd call a base trade in Starcraft.) There are no long periods of deadlock or slow maneuvering, where each side stops the other from making progress.

b) It leads to unusual positions. Partly because f4 is not the most common of openings, and partly because of the sort of position it leads to (described above), it tends to lead to positions that you don't see very often. Positions like that are fun to play because you're not relying on rote, but trying to come up with something new.

2. Playable.
f4 has never been the most popular of openings, but it has been favored by players of the highest calibre, from Henry Bird himself to Bent Larsen. If it weren't playable, they wouldn't play it.

It will lead to positions that are more or less familiar to everyone.

positions that are more or less unfamiliar to everyone.

I'd rather play interesting bird than the same old e4. Let's make this game fun. By playing e4 I'm pretty sure we'll just be playing by the book longer than by playing f4.
f4 is intriguing.

I would go with f4 as I lately like more crazy wild games, but I have no experience wit it so d4 it is.

it's a good move

As long as its e4, d4, Nf3 or c4 i dont really mind actually. Looks like most people are more familiar with e4 so lets go down that road.

I agree that I'd rather an unusual game.

It's sad to see everyone advocating 1. e4 because of the familiarity the collective might have with this opening. The point of correspondence chess is that you have the liberty to take a WHOLE three days to acquaint yourself with a position or are allowed to investigate in to an opening / position. It's a chance to make that sacrifice or gambit you wouldn't of made in a regular game. 1. e4 can be too safe and bland if he doesn't respond with something like 1. ... d5 or 1 ... Nf6. Although he has expressed his love for 1. ... Nf6 in the past, I fear if he plays e5, c5, c6, d6, or e6 that we'll be tempted to fall in to closed and locked positions to keep with "familiarity". I love 1. e4 and some of the positions it brings, but it seems like as a group everyone wants to avoid theory and risk (although f4 really is a terrible opening).

I say we play 1. d4 in hopes to push the game towards more interesting positions and to teach some players, who aren't familiar with the queen's pawn opening, just how awesome it is.

edit:

just a heads up, this type of a game isn't about "winning" it's about having "fun"... sooner or later we're going to be in unknown territory, so get creative with how you approach and think about your moves.

I always play d4.

I believe it has the most flexiblity and I am most fimiliar with it

In my limited chess career I've always played e4 and would rather use this opportunity to play a different variation and get into some interesting situations.

this allows to get two opening which are quenn side pawn and king side pawn agressiveness in the next move and allows us alot of mobility without setting in stone what we are doing quite yet so more flexibility

Positional games are always interesting, and I think this move will lead to the best and most insightful game. Discussion of closed games is awesome.

personal preference