Questions tagged [english-opening]
The English Opening is the chess opening characterized by white's opening move 1. c4.
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Every longbow-wielding peasant's finest hour?
It's called the English opening - some reference to Howard Staunton and the perambulations of the mid to late 19th Century; but, does the variant name refer to the Ancien Regime charging up a muddy ...
user35277
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Is it a good idea for white to play the Botvinnik system in the Sicillian defense?
After 1. e4 c5, the following line is not popular:
[fen ""]
[startply "3"]
1. e4 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 d6 6. Nge2 e6
Is there any reason that this line is not ...
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When and why should I develop my knight to e2 or f3 in the English Opening?
I have heard that in English opening white should play d4 and Nf3, unless black plays Bc5. In this case white plays d3 and Ne2 in order to block the black bishop. However, that lesson seems to be ...
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What are variations that can explain why 1.c4 is often suggested as an alternative starting move for for aggressive players?
I've read that multiple times (see comments for example articles), and many top aggressive players have played it, among them world champion Kasparov and (potentially future world champion) Nepo.
I am ...
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Why after 1. d4 Nf6, 2. c4 is so common but after 1. c4 Nf6, 2. d4 is so rare?
I am using Lichess's master database and after 1. d4 Nf6, 71.63% of the game continues with 2. c4. However, after 1. c4 Nf6, only 5.22% of the game continues with 2. d4. Are they not essentially the ...
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Simple side line defense against English opening
I'm looking for a simple plan to play against the English. Ideally a side line, even if it's objectively worse than main lines. I'm far from being a GM, so it won't matter a lot. I prefer that to a ...
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Can I counter the English opening with the same setup as the Pirc defense? [closed]
How can I counter hypermodern openings such as English opening when I play as black?
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How to open a chess game [closed]
Any chess opening book or site for open a chess game for FIDE elo around 1800?Can any one help me to overcome opening difficulties? Specially as sicilian keres attack and english open as black. I ...
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What's the etymology behind the Great Snake Variation?
This is called the Modern Defense:
[FEN ""]
1.e4 g6
This is called the Modern Defense:
[FEN ""]
1.d4 g6
This is called the "English Opening: Great Snake Variation":
[...
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Transposition into KID
I have looked at many grandmaster games where White starts off with 1.c4, which later mostly transposes into a King's Indian. However, Black could have immediately played 1...e5, which seems slightly ...
user24344
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Stockfish is considering a move in a book by GM Mihail Marin as a blunder
In the book English opening volume 1 by Mihail Marin at this position
[fen "3nrrk1/bppq2p1/p4p1p/2Pp4/1P1P3N/P1BQ2P1/5PKP/4RR2 w - - 2 21"]
1. Qg6 (1. Ng6)
He suggests Qg6 whereas ...
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I like to play 1. e4 but I dislike 1. ... c5. Can I continue with 2. c4?
I read a related but closed question here and I share a very similar feeling. I would love to play 1. e4 but I only feel comfortable when my opponent replies with 1. ... e5, or French, or Caro-Kann. I ...
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Black repertoire for players who love the English Opening
When I started playing chess I picked 3 openings (Queens Gambit as white, Caro-Kann and QGD as black) and pretty much stopped studying the openings to focus on endgames and middlegames.
Some months ...
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Why was 3...c5 for black was a bad move?
I played a player ranked about 450 points higher, and I was out-played. I managed to give a fight but was trailing all along.
The player used the English opening and on third move I (black) played c5....
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Early line in english opening not in the chessbase powerbook 2019 but seen by stockfish 10 64bits under latest fritz
I am looking at 1.c4 Nf6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 dxc4 4.Nf3 and Chessbase's Powerbook 2019 only proposes 4...c6, 4...g6, 4...a6, 4...Nbd7, 4...Qd6 or 4...Be6 whereas Fritz 17 64bits latest update using ...
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What are these chess.com figures from my English Opening game?
I am asking something that chess.com shows about the English Opening, based on a game that I recently played on chess.com
Chess.com showed the following figures:
1.c4 e5
..
2.g4 e4 9.6 5.8
-White:...
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Is the English opening the most suitable for beginners?
Here are my understandings of the English opening:
The English opening is as good as 1.d4.
Since it is less common than 1.e4 and 1.d4; it is more likely that an average amateur player is less familar ...
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Is learning the English Opening helpful for learning the Sicilian Defence? How about vice versa?
Is learning the opening 1. c4 e5 as white helpful in learning the opening 1. e4 c5? How about vice versa?
Are the ideas behind the Sicilian Defence as black very similar to the ideas behind the ...
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In the opening stage, can we determine that one move is better than another by looking at winning percentage?
After 1.c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6, thousands of games have been played with the following two moves of white: 3.g3 and 3.e4. It seems that the winning percentage suggested that 3.e4 is clearly better than 3....
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Not Developing a Piece in the First Five Moves
Here are the first few moves:
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4 3.Nd5 Bc5 4.Nf3 e4 5.d4 Bf8
After the fifth move, black has essentially only pushed one pawn, while while has developed two knights and his c-pawn ...
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In the English Opening, where should the d-pawn go?
Whenever I play the English Opening, I usually try to achieve a c4, d4, e3 pawn structure. However, in this video by STL chess club, the instructor recommends playing d3 (and possibly e4 later) to ...
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Weird early f4 suggested by engine (English Opening: Reversed Sicilian)
I have played a game recently and at move 7 the engine suggested f4 as best continuation, but I failed to understand why. When I see the move, all I see is a super weakening move, especially with a ...
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Ideas for the English opening
I'm playing recently the English opening. specifically this line in the two knights variations
[FEN ""]
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2
But I find it difficult to see when it's advantageous to go ...
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How bad is the English Opening Wing Gambit?
After 1.c4 c5 2.b4 cxb4 it seems White can continue in typical gambit fashion with a number of moves (3.a3, d4, ...) yet I have never seen a game with this gambit. Did anyone strong ever try this? ...
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English opening exchange-sacrifice compensation
Evaluation of exchange sacrifice: How good is White's compensation after the exchange sacrifice on move 19? Seems the position is about even to me but Black might have more issues to solve. I am ...
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Why do masters open 1.d4 more often than 1.c4?
Why do masters open 1.d4 more often than they open with the English 1.c4?
STATISTICS
According to 365chess.com, 1.d4 is five times as common. Moreover, even if one admits Réti's 1.Nf3 as an ...
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What are the best repertoire books for White with the English Opening?
What are the best repertoire books, from White's point of view, with the English Opening?
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1. c4 vs c3 Sicilian
I am a chess player ranked at around 1400. As white I play 1. e4 and am confident playing against most responses except for the Sicilian. I don't want to go into the main lines so I am studying the c3 ...
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Outsmarting an intelligent copycat in the Ultrasymmetrical English
I used to be a fan of the English, but some ultrasymmetrical variations bugged me, especially if a lower rated player decided to play for a draw against me with them. There seemed to be a lot to ...
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Where do black's centre pawns and light square bishop belong in the symmetrical English?
I played a rapid game last night and got this symmetrical English position as black:
[FEN ""]
[StartPly "116"]
1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 O-O 8. Nxc6 bxc6
...
user1108
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Can you recommend a variation in the English opening for a technical player?
I'm looking to study the English opening. To cut down my homework, I would like to focus on one or two variations.
Why am I interested in the English opening, I hear you cry? Mostly because I want to ...
user1108
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English opening against Dutch defense
How do the two systems work against each other? In particular, let's say I'm playing white, and the opponent has played e7-e5 after a Bird-like opening:
[fen "rnbqkb1r/pppp2pp/5n2/4pp2/2PP4/2N5/...
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How do you stop white's queenside advance in the Reversed Sicilian?
My openings textbook gives this line (Closed Variation of the Reversed Sicilian):
[FEN ""]
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 d6 6.d3 Nf6 7.Rb1
with the note that the plan for white here ...
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In what cases is it good to play the Maroczy Bind in the Symmetrical English?
I'm thinking about playing the Maroczy Bind with White in the Symmetrical English (1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 - notice that I start with 1. Nf3).
But I don't know exactly in what cases I should play it.
So I ...
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Is the Reversed Sicilian / King's English 1. c4 e5 more of a positional and quiet opening or a wild and tactical opening?
The only thing that deters me from playing 1. c4 followed by a Kingside Fianchetto is 1...e5 the Reversed Sicilian (also called the King's English).
I like quiet, positional, strategic and ...
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Reversed Sicilian - What's wrong with my plan?
I played this game in a tournament and lost.
[fen ""]
[StartFlipped "1"]
1.c4 e5 {Starting the reversed sicilian} 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6. Nf3 Nge7 7. O-O O-O 8. Rb1 h6 {Finished the ...
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Why does Black play 10...a6 in the A39 variation of the English opening?
I observed that after
[fen ""]
1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.g3 Bg7 7.Bg2 O-O 8.O-O Nxd4 9.Qxd4 d6 10.Qd3
In many games, Black played the strange move 10...a6!? It has been ...
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What is the strategic significance of the English Opening?
I enjoy playing the English opening, pushing my pawn to c4, and trying to out flank my opponent. But I have a hard time, outside of playing normal lines, understanding the advantage it gives, and why ...
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Did Kasparov refute over the board Karpov's 1987 novelty?
In the second game of the 1987 World Championship, Kasparov played an English opening. In the ninth move Karpov played a novelty that he had prepared for his 1981 match with Korchnoi (the usual play ...
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