user2785: Famously, Bobby Fischer describes the first move 1. e4 as "best by test".  However,

Bobby Fischer exclusively opened his games with 1.e4...
“Best by test: 1.e4” (Bobby Fischer)

Actually, Fischer didn't play 1.e4 100% exclusively, but it's very close.  So it seems like Bobby Fischer didn't actually test non-e4 openings during tournaments all that much.  As black, he scored better against 1.e4 than almost any other opening.



Hence the question:
Question: What test is Fischer referring to when describing 1.e4 as "best by test"?

user32311: "Best by test" simply means he derived his conclusion from experience - trial and error.

2785: <p>Famously, Bobby Fischer describes the first move <code>1. e4</code> as &quot;best by test&quot;.  However,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Bobby Fischer exclusively opened his games with 1.e4...<br />
<sub><a href="https://en.chessbase.com/post/best-by-test-1-e4-bobby-fischer" rel="nofollow noreferrer">“Best by test: 1.e4” (Bobby Fischer)</a></sub></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Actually, Fischer <a href="https://www.chessgames.com/perl/explorer?pid=19233&amp;side=white" rel="nofollow noreferrer">didn't play 1.e4 100% exclusively</a>, but it's very close.  So it seems like Bobby Fischer didn't actually test non-e4 openings during tournaments all that much.  <a href="https://www.chessgames.com/perl/explorer?pid=19233&amp;side=black" rel="nofollow noreferrer">As black</a>, he scored better against 1.e4 than almost any other opening.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/0vW21m.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/0vW21m.png" alt="Bobby Fischer's statistics as black, e.g. 1.e4 led to 58.9% black wins whereas 1.d4 led to 49.2% black wins" /></a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Hence the question:</p>
<p><strong>Question</strong>: What test is Fischer referring to when describing 1.e4 as &quot;best by test&quot;?</p>
 32311: <p>&quot;Best by test&quot; simply means he derived his conclusion from experience - trial and error.</p>
