1. e3 !?

And nobody cares about the novelties you play at coffee shops; your success rate is irrelevent to theory or your futile argument. 

Yet, could be a winner in the hands of an eccentric master.  The first move advantage remains.

Eh?

It's the 10th most played move in the Master database, and as far as I know there is no way to view the stats of all chess.com games.

According to most online databases this score even below 40% for white, which can hardly be called good.

Hey CRAPPYBABY (AWARDCHESS), here's a novel idea: Stop crapping all over other people's threads in a tone deaf attempt to promote your mediocre self.

Speaking of transpositions, I think the question mark and exclamation point should be transposed on the title of this thread.

It doesnt really matter what either side plays. I can play e3 as white and play a6 as black on move 1. Its still the matter of playing the game and winning.

Awardchess kind of just got owned by Reb. And he's done the same thing with 1...f6.

lol

e3 a passive move. highly transpositional though. I think it's amazing it's the third most common opening on chess.com I'll open anything reasonable but usuallly d4. never e3

I kinda like the e3 opening, it kinda keeps black guessing in what whites going to do

After 1 e3 e5, black is in good shape. Yes, white could play 2 c4 but in the english you rarely want to commit to e3 so quick.

After 1 e3 e5, black is in good shape. Yes, white could play 2 c4 but in the english you rarely want to commit to e3 so quick.

1 e3 e5 2 e4... why would want to go into that though?

its not so bad if you like playing as black

If you like openings that keep black guessing or hinder black from knowing your plans right away, why not play 1. Nf3 or even 1. g3, which won't tip your hand too early about where or how you want to play but are entirely sound and maintain white's tempo advantage?

e3 is not a good first move for white - just my humble opinion. If this is a common move in the database - its probably a beginners mistake(attempting to develop the queen quickly like somene mentioned before) as most of the games played on chess.com are between player below 1200.

Never said it was bad, but I definitley don't prefer e3 first as a move order. There is always the possibility of a psychological gain on a certain type of player, though. But if I had to play against it (which I recall doing once, and I did like 1...e5 because 1...d5 could easily be a QG transposition) I would just think about what favorable transposition I could get. However I do think that 1 e3 is interesting if you want to play a french, because I like the french, and then play into d4 openings against ...d5, but maybe black would just play ...exd4 exd4 d5 when it's an exchange except black gets to do it. So if he wants a draw that's kind of annoying, and more so in the real french, because you're black. Well you do get the tempo though, but I still don't want to be forced into an exchange as white personally.

Dutch defense is supposed to be refutation for 1.e3, according to Wikipedia:

"This opening is beginning to age. After 1.e3 f5! 2.d4 Nf6, Black is in a Dutch Defense, where White's e3 is not really a helpful move, and so forth virtually wastes a tempo"

White doesn't move e-pawn at all in all lines of Dutch Defense (except in Staunton gambit, where White plays 2.e4), so e3 seems like wasted move indeed.

Very interesting! But instead white could just pick a line where he plays b4.

I think imma start trying e3

Which are the lines with b4? I don't have any experience with Dutch, so I don't know any sidelines myself. You have to keep in mind though, that e3 must be in these lines, otherwise it is still somewhat of a wasted move. Or at least unnecessary commitment.