Opening family
English Opening Lines and Variations
The English Opening family contains 166 named lines in this opening book, spanning ECO A10 to C20. Use this page as the map, then open individual lines for exact move orders and diagrams.
How to study this family
White
White starts from the flank, delaying central commitment while keeping pressure on d5 and dark-square control.
Black
Black should choose a clear central setup, because the English often transposes into queen-pawn or Sicilian-style structures.
Start with the shortest line, then branch to the variations that change the pawn structure or tactical target. Memorizing every branch before understanding the family plan is usually wasted work.
Main named lines
- A10 · English Opening
- A10 · English Opening: Anglo-Dutch Defense
- A10 · English Opening: Anglo-Lithuanian Variation
- A10 · English Opening: Anglo-Scandinavian Defense
- A10 · English Opening: Great Snake Variation
- A10 · English Opening: Jaenisch Gambit
- A10 · English Opening: Myers Defense
- A11 · English Opening: Caro-Kann Defensive System
- A13 · English Opening: Agincourt Defense
- A15 · English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense
- A20 · English Opening: King's English Variation
- A30 · English Opening: Symmetrical Variation
- A10 · English Opening: Achilles-Omega Gambit
- A10 · English Opening: Anglo-Dutch Defense, Hickmann Gambit
- A10 · English Opening: Wade Gambit
- A13 · English Opening: Agincourt Defense
- A15 · English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, King's Knight Variation
- A16 · English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Knight Variation
- A20 · English Opening: King's English Variation, Nimzowitsch Variation
- A21 · English Opening: King's English Variation, Reversed Sicilian
- A30 · English Opening: Symmetrical Variation
- A30 · English Opening: Wing Gambit
- A34 · English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Normal Variation
- C20 · English Opening: The Whale
Deep theory branches
- 1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 c5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Be7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4 d6 9. Rd1 a6 10. b3 Nbd7 — English Opening: Symmetrical, Hedgehog, Flexible Formation
- 1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 O-O 5. e4 d6 6. Nge2 e5 7. O-O c6 8. d3 a6 — English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System, Prickly Pawn Pass System
- 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Ne5 — English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation
- 1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O c5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Nc3 Nc6 — English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Keres Defense
- 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. b3 c5 7. e3 d4 — English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined
- 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. b3 c5 7. e3 Nc6 — English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined
- 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. d3 Be7 7. O-O O-O — English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line
- 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 Bb4 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nf3 Re8 6. O-O e4 7. Nd4 Nc6 — English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6
- 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nf3 e5 6. O-O Nge7 7. d3 d6 — English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with Nf3
- 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. b3 c5 7. e3 — English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined
- 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Bb4 5. Qc2 O-O 6. Nd5 Re8 7. Qf5 — English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Quiet Line
- 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bc5 5. d3 d6 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O — English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, with .. d6
- 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nf3 e5 6. O-O Nge7 7. a3 — English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with Nf3
- 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nf3 e5 6. O-O Nge7 7. d3 — English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed, with Nf3
- 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. O-O O-O 7. b3 — English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Double Fianchetto
- 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O c5 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. d3 — English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Duchamp Variation