English OpeningA10 – A39
1.c4 concedes nothing and commits to nothing. Against 1…e5 it is a Sicilian Defence with colours reversed and a tempo in hand, which is a real thing rather than a slogan: the plans are the ones Black uses in the Closed Sicilian, only faster. Against 1…c5 the game is symmetrical and usually decided by who breaks with d4 first. Against 1…Nf6 and 1…e6 the English is a move order rather than an opening — d2-d4 at the right moment turns it into a Queen's Gambit, and e2-e4 turns it into a King's Indian. The shape to learn is the fianchetto: pawns on c4 and g3, bishop on g2, knights on c3 and f3, and a rook on b1 with b2-b4 to come. That set-up is playable against anything, which is why the English is the opening of choice for players who would rather understand a structure than memorise a variation.
Played by
- Garry Kasparov — turned to 1.c4 for the second half of the 1987 title match in Seville and won game 24 with it to keep his title
- Mikhail Botvinnik — gave the English its modern shape with the c4-and-g3 set-up that carries his name
Model game
Kasparov – Timman, Corus, Wijk aan Zee 2001
Next: c4 — yours
