@MartinS saidFor what it's worth, AlphaZero, the highest rated player in the world, preferred 1. d4 2. c4 and convincingly defeated the second highest rated player in the world, Stockfish, in a match. But you'd need the rest of AlphaZero's horsepower to make it work for you.
I recently Googled best/most lethal chess openings and found nearly every site I looked at had different openings (and all the variations etc).
Obviously we all have our preferred openings/defences; but am interested in RHP members' favourites.
You and I are not machines however, and that means there is no one best opening against any and every human player.
For my style of play as Black, I prefer the Caro_Kann, 1. e4 c6, and the Slav 1.d4 d5, 2. c4 c6, because they result in very similar pawn structures for Black and very similar game plans--Black has the same basic freeing maneuver in playing for solid development and an eventual ... c5 to undermine White's center. This means I don't need to memorize two completely different variation-trees for Black, depending on whether White plays 1. e4 or 1. d4.
As White, I play 1. e4 -- it was good enough for Morphy and Fischer ... suits my style.
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@MartinS said1. The English as white
I recently Googled best/most lethal chess openings and found nearly every site I looked at had different openings (and all the variations etc).
Obviously we all have our preferred openings/defences; but am interested in RHP members' favourites.
2. Caro Kann against e4
3. The Slav against the Queens gambit.
Very few players prepare to play against these.
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Any opening can be lethal if you know what you are doing. Gary Kasparov - known for attacking play - used to use the Caro-Kann (considered a defensive opening) when he was young and attacked with it.
Pick an opening you like and look for lines that go into a style of play you like and learn these.
This is my recommendation, but I'm hardly a GM, so take my advice for what its worth 🙂