It’s the first big decision of every White player: open with the king’s pawn or the queen’s pawn? The short answer: both are excellent, neither is “better,” and the right choice depends on what you like to play. The long answer deserves a few lines, because this first move shapes the kind of games you’ll play for months. Here’s what you need to decide.

What 1.e4 does

1.e4 opens the game. The king’s pawn frees your light-squared bishop and your queen in one move, and it plants a pawn in the center. The positions that follow are often open, tactical, with pieces clashing early and kings sometimes exposed.

1.e4 frees your light-squared bishop and queen at once and plants a pawn in the center: the game opens up.

It’s the move recommended to beginners almost every time, and for a good reason: it teaches tactics. Forks, pins, sacrifices, attacks on f7, all of that shows up naturally in 1.e4 openings. You learn to calculate, to spot threats, to attack and to defend. Openings in this family, like the Italian Game, the Scotch Game or the Ruy Lopez, are perfect training grounds for building up your tactical vision.

The downside: after 1.e4, Black has very different defenses available, the Sicilian, the French, the Caro-Kann, and you need an idea against each one. That’s a bit more to know, even though at the beginner level your principles are usually enough.

What 1.d4 does

1.d4 builds. The queen’s pawn takes the center too, but it’s already defended by the queen, which gives more closed and more stable positions. The play is often positional: you gain space, you maneuver, you exploit small advantages over time rather than through a lightning attack.

1.d4 takes the center with a pawn the queen already defends: more closed positions, a positional game.

This is the domain of the Queen’s Gambit, the London System, the King’s Indian Attack. Many players who don’t like messy tactical brawls feel at home here: the games are slower, more controlled, less likely to swing on a single overlooked move. If you prefer a clear plan to constant calculation, 1.d4 will speak to you.

The downside: positional play asks you to understand long-term plans, which sometimes comes more slowly when you’re starting out. And some 1.d4 systems, like the Queen’s Gambit, have their share of theory.

How to choose without going wrong

Here’s my advice, as clear as it gets. If you’re truly a beginner, start with 1.e4. Not because it’s superior, but because it will make you improve faster at calculation and tactics, which are what decide 90% of amateur games. You’ll lose and win games on combinations, and that’s exactly what you need to learn.

Move to 1.d4 later, if you discover you prefer maneuvering to close-quarters fighting, or simply to broaden your repertoire. Many players end up playing both depending on the opponent or the mood.

And if you hate theory? Then a system like the London System in 1.d4 or the King’s Indian Attack lets you play almost the same setup every time without memorizing anything. It’s a perfectly honest shortcut for starting 1.d4 without drowning.

The real trap isn’t choosing the “wrong” first move, it’s changing openings every week. Pick one, play it thirty games, and you’ll learn more than by skimming ten openings.

Whichever move you pick, learn it by playing

Reading about an opening won’t teach you to play it. That holds for 1.e4 and 1.d4 alike: the moves only stick once you’ve made them yourself, with the reason for each one in front of you. It’s the whole reason Prologue has you replay your chosen opening move by move rather than skim a summary and hope it lands in the next game.

To see all the families of White openings, with their difficulty level, take a look at the White openings pillar.

Frequently asked questions

1.e4 or 1.d4, which is better?

Neither. Both are played at the highest level and give excellent positions. The difference is one of style: 1.e4 leads to open, tactical play, 1.d4 to more closed, positional play. The best move is the one that matches what you like to play.

What should a beginner start with?

With 1.e4, in most cases. It develops your tactics and calculation, which decide the bulk of amateur games. You can add 1.d4 later, once you’re comfortable, or go straight to a system like the London if you hate theory.

Can you play both first moves?

Yes, many players do depending on the opponent or their mood of the day. But when you’re starting out, it’s better to focus on just one to learn it in depth. Juggling the two too soon slows your progress.

Does 1.d4 need more theory than 1.e4?

It depends on what you choose. The Queen’s Gambit has its share of theory, but systems like the London System or the King’s Indian Attack are played with almost no memorization. In 1.e4, on the other hand, you have to prepare for several different black defenses.