Ever tried Hungarian? How about King's indian Attack? With Bird, you can open the diagonal the same way you do for both of those with an almost assured pawn diagonal from h2 to f4 (the opening move). Many times, a fianchetto with a developed knight is the ideal of the very popular Hungarian Opening; this is a more direct way to gain that position.

ive had alot of luck with Birds.  Im not sure if it gives you the positional advantage but many players arent sure of how to react to it.  Worth a try

this is a nice opening

well, this can be a really bad opening depending on what black plays.   1. c4  e5 2.c4xe5  d6   3.e5xd6  bxd6  leaving black with two attacking bishops on whites king side.

Great opening very strong

This is worth a try.

I have played this opening for 30+ years and have a 70% record with it. Grandmaster Bent Larsen played it regularly. In no way can it be called defensive if played properly. At best it can lead to a strong Kingside attack with strong control over the e4 square, at worst it has surprise value against stronger opponents, many of whom think that From's Gambit (1....e5) refutes it.However, if you play it regularly, chances are you'll know how to play this better than Black does anyway !From's can lead to early tactical explosions, or you can transmute (chicken out ?? :) ) to the King's Gambit with 2. e4. Bird's certainly has many tactical nuances, and if you are aware of its pitfalls it has great value at club and tournament level.

I have never tried this opening, I'll give it a try on my next game. New to the site, it's great.

And anyone who has ever considered the Bird to be "equal" - when did equality become a bad thing?  As a matter of fact, unless you are a master, I don't see an equal position being a terrible thing.  As a matter of fact, many GM's play equal positions, such as the Slow Italian, or the King's Indian's Attack.  The Bird may be equal in certain positions, but it offers White good development and strong ideas to fight against Black.  Anyone who thinks it is bad can challenge me, and I will show you that the opening is definetely playable.

i have never lost when played this!

I always thought of Bird's opening to be offensive because the fianchetto points to a king side castled king and the f4 pawn could be used for attack at some point.

THANK GOD FOR CHESS.COM, LOVE THE SITE.

ABOUT THE OPENING MOVE, IM STILL NOT SURE.

I used this opening to beat the bot on this site set to hard.  Its one of the only openings that worked for me against the computer for a while.  Very defensive in the first 10 moves.

its the same idea as c4 people

This is not a bad opening for white. GrandMaster Henrik Danielsen from Iceland has developed his "Polar Bear system" which is always 1. f4. He probably knows more about the Dutch Defense than anyone else in the world, and he transferred the ideas to white, being a move ahead and everything. While Black may be able to equalize, there are many many good continuations for White, you could watch some of his videos on YT (user name: krakkaskak) on his system to gain insight. "The Polar Bear is not without danger!" -Danielsen

White will not take any advantage with this opening... Black equalizes very easily.

Why move the bird opening, it doesn't do SQUAT!

The point behind the opening is that White (according to Henry Bird's original idea) is planning on controlling the e5 square and fianchettoing his queenside bishop, while not blocking the diagonal with a move like d4.  It is not a bad opening, but as my teacher taught me, it is a defensive opening.  White is staking his claim upon the e5 square, and so his development scheme should work likewise.  It is a flexible opening, and many players disrespect the opening, so they do not study it. Therefore, a person who regularly uses 1. f4 understands the middlegame plans much better than his opponent, so he is better in that sense.  White shouldn't have a problem with at least equality.

Any opening where black has the statitistical advantage needs to be scrutinized and maybe avoided.  If master players lose with this opening more than they win, then a neophyte like me will most definitely avoid it.

i don't know what the point is in using this opening but if anybody likes this opening try it but test it first, it looks like itll make you very vulnerable on the kingside and you might have to queen side castle, which might not be available because black usually goes for the center and queenside. it could probably throw someone off and make them cautious not knowing what you might do so it could work....I don't know, anyone who has some luck with this opening let me know.