Answers.Body: <p>Aside from the fact that the difference is only .3% at master level games on chess.com's db, I think Fischer was referring to his own personal results.</p>
  
  <p>A search on chess tempo for Fischer's games reveals that this is the case:
  <a href="http://chesstempo.com/gamedb/player/239563">http://chesstempo.com/gamedb/player/239563</a></p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>e4 (51.3% win)</li>
  <li>d4 (15.4% win)</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p><strong>update</strong>: The statistics above are skewed because Fischer never played d4 as white. See comments. Still, my initial point is valid. It was his preferred opening. I don't think .3% makes him wrong.</p>
  
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Answers.Text: @TonyEnnis Do you mean black wins 3% less? I.e. that there are more draws with e4 than with d4? Yes, the correct "scoring" percentage for a move is wins+(draws/2), not just wins. (All scaled to total games of course.)
Answers.UserDisplayName: Jeff Y
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Answers.Text: Those numbers include all of Fischer's games - both black and white.  Fischer hardly ever played 1.d4, so the reason that 1.d4 scores so lowly is that most of those games featured Fischer playing black.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Andrew
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Answers.Text: Ah. Good point.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Eve Freeman
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Answers.Text: In fact, there's only one game where he played 1. d4 as white in that database, and it was a draw.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Eve Freeman
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Answers.CreationDate: 2012-05-13T15:17:19.387Z
Answers.Text: Also, referring to the chesstempo database, white's `1. e4` wins a tiny amount more, but black loses 3% more often.  Just an observation.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Eve Freeman
Body: <p>Fischer famously scribbled "best by test" on one of his score sheets after playing <code>1. e4</code>.</p>
  
  <p>Yet when I look at <a href="http://www.chess.com/explorer/">chess.com's database of games</a>, <code>1. d4</code> yields a larger win %age for while than does <code>1. e4</code>.</p>
  
  <p>Was Fischer wrong?  If not, what changed to make this so?</p>
  
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Comments.CreationDate: 2012-05-13T01:46:39.223Z
Comments.Text: Best is 1.Na3. It wins 60% of games. ;-)
Comments.UserDisplayName: Mark Byers
Tags: <opening><fischer>
Title: Fischer: 1. e4 "Best by test"
ThreadText: # Fischer: 1. e4 "Best by test"
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2012-05-13)
  
  Fischer famously scribbled "best by test" on one of his score sheets after playing `1. e4`.
  
  Yet when I look at [chess.com's database of games](http://www.chess.com/explorer/), `1. d4` yields a larger win %age for while than does `1. e4`.
  
  Was Fischer wrong? If not, what changed to make this so?
  
  **Tags:** opening, fischer
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Best is 1.Na3. It wins 60% of games. ;-)  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2012-05-13. Score: 11 | Accepted answer
  
  Aside from the fact that the difference is only .3% at master level games on chess.com's db, I think Fischer was referring to his own personal results.
  
  A search on chess tempo for Fischer's games reveals that this is the case:
  <http://chesstempo.com/gamedb/player/239563>
  
  * e4 (51.3% win)
  * d4 (15.4% win)
  
  **update**: The statistics above are skewed because Fischer never played d4 as white. See comments. Still, my initial point is valid. It was his preferred opening. I don't think .3% makes him wrong.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_4**: Those numbers include all of Fischer's games - both black and white.  Fischer hardly ever played 1.d4, so the reason that 1.d4 scores so lowly is that most of those games featured Fischer playing black.  
  > **username_2**: Ah. Good point.  
  > **username_2**: In fact, there's only one game where he played 1. d4 as white in that database, and it was a draw.  
  > **username_0**: Also, referring to the chesstempo database, white's `1. e4` wins a tiny amount more, but black loses 3% more often.  Just an observation.  
  > **username_3**: @username_0 Do you mean black wins 3% less? I.e. that there are more draws with e4 than with d4? Yes, the correct "scoring" percentage for a move is wins+(draws/2), not just wins. (All scaled to total games of course.)  
  
  ---
  
  