Starting Position: what should White play?

In the initial setup of chess, known as the Starting Position (ECO C50 across 17,928,137 recorded games), White's primary objective is to stake an immediate claim in the center and facilitate rapid piece development. The statistically preferred and highest-ranked engine choice is e4, appearing in 58.7% of recorded encounters (11M recorded) with an evaluation of +0.25. This central pawn thrust directly contests key squares while immediately freeing pathways for both the light-squared bishop and the queen.

Primary Central Strategies: e4 and d4

Choosing e4 leads to open, dynamic play, where an illustrative engine continuation runs e4 c5 Nf3 Nc6 d4 cxd4. By contrast, the second most common choice is d4, selected in 24.8% of games (4.44M recorded) with an evaluation of +0.21. A sample line following this move is d4 Nf6 c4 e6 Nf3 d5, which tends to initiate more closed, strategic battles centered on central stability and gradual spatial gains.

Flexible Alternatives: Nf3, c4, and g3

White can also opt for flank or hypermodern setups that delay committing the central pawns. The flexible developing move Nf3 scores an evaluation of +0.21 and represents 3.3% of games (594K recorded), demonstrated in the line Nf3 d5 d4 Nf6 c4 e6. Similarly, the English Opening move c4 is played in 3.1% of games (558K recorded) with an evaluation of +0.07, exemplified by c4 e5 g3 Nf6 Bg2 c6. Finally, the kingside fianchetto preparation g3 occurs in 2.2% of games (397K recorded) with an evaluation of +0.08, leading into variations such as g3 e5 c4 Nf6 Bg2 c6.