English Opening: Simple Setup & Quick Guide

This version of the English opening is truly the simplest, most obvious, and most logical setup for White! Yet, it is difficult to find any relevant video or resource online regarding the same setup. Even when the intention is to create a quick-guide video, selling an easy setup similar to the London System, they often present the English oepning as something much more complicated and confusing than it actually is. This video serves to teach you to learn and play the English opening without spending more then 10 minutes.

💡 SIMPLE SETUP FOR WHITE

The setup resembles that of the Dragon Sicilian (with Black), and what White should do is simply check their pawn-chain and follow a well-known guideline: play on the side where you have more space, where your pawn-chain directs you, which in this case, is the queenside.

How to execute it: Begin by deploying your rook to b1, followed by advancing a3 and b4 to expand your influence on the queenside. Finally, utilize your light-square bishop to apply pressure to the same flank from afar. In just two sentences, you've established a comprehensive opening strategy.

There are other ways of playing the English opening. There is one involving e2-e3, followed by d2-d4, fighting for the center. Also, there is the Botvinnik-setup: d2-d3 and e2-e4 at some point, with a possiblity to even strike on the kingside with f2-f4. In this video I am not discussing those options cause it would confuse those this video is made for.

🏆 TO WHOM THIS VIDEO MAY BE OF SOME VALUE

Despite of the fact that it may be quickly learnt and played without mistakes first 7-8 moves, I believe the English is one of those more difficult openings to understand, strategically speaking. That means - you don't need to memorize moves or learn the book moves, but you need to be at a certain level of understanding chess and positional play in order to feel comfortable once the opening is over.

The two model games I provided in the video may confirm that.

However, if you do not have too much time for studying and memorizing openings, you'd want a solid, sound and reliable opening system, in which you'd always know what is your plan, regardless of what your opponent throws at you. This video is going to help you understand the meaning and goals behind your universal English opening setup.

🎓 CONCLUSION: WHO SHOULD WATCH THIS VIDEO

That being said, this setup is ideal for those who have limited time to devote strictly to openings, yet feel at ease engaging in enduring strategic battles involving subtle maneuvering.

🔥 CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction
0:19 Basic setup
1:10 Lasker vs Conel O'Donel
3:20 c4 & g2-Bishop's coordination
5:37 Andersson vs Seirawan
6:50 Queenside battle
7:32 Find the plan for White
8:39 Guess the move for White
10:22 King's Indian setup
11:07 Queen's Gambit & Slav setup

🔍 MODEL GAME 1

Emanuel Lasker - Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander
Nottingham 1936.
(English Opening)
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3 Nge7 6. Bd2 O-O 7. Nf3 Nd4 8. O-O c6 9. Rc1 d6 10. b4 Nxf3+ 11. Bxf3 Bh3 12. Re1 Qd7 13. b5 c5 14. Ne4 Qc7 15. Rb1 Bd7 16. Qc1 b6 17. Bg5! Nf5 18. Nf6+ Bxf6 19. Bxf6 Rab8 20. Bg4 Ng7 21. Qh6 Ne8 22. Be7 Ng7 23. Bf6 Ne8 24. Be7 Ng7 25. Bxf8 Rxf8 26. Bf3 Nf5 27. Qd2 Nd4 28. Bg2 Bc8 29. e3 Ne6 30. f4 Bb7 31. a4 f5 32. Bxb7 Qxb7 33. Qg2 Qe7 34. Qd5 1-0

🔍 MODEL GAME 2

Ulf Andersson - Yasser Seirawan
Linares 1983.
(English Opening: Symmetrical Variation)
1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nc3 e5 6. O-O d6 7. a3 Nge7 8. Rb1 a5 9. d3 O-O 10. Bg5 f6 11. Be3 Be6 12. Ne1 Qd7 13. Nc2 a4 14. b3 axb3 15. Rxb3 Rfb8 16. Qb1 Ra6 17. Rb6 Qc7 18. Rb2 b6 19. Bd2 Qd8 20. a4 f5 21. Ne3 Nb4 22. Rxb4 cxb4 23. Qxb4 Qd7 24. Rb1 Rd8 25. Qb3 Kh8 26. Nc2 h6 27. Nb4 Ra5 28. h4 f4 29. Kh2 Kh7 30. Nbd5 Nxd5 31. cxd5 Bf5 32. Qxb6 Rc5 33. a5 Rdc8 34. Rb3 fxg3+ 35. fxg3 e4 36. Nxe4 Rc2 37. Qe3 Qa4 38. Rb7 R8c7 39. Rxc7 Rxc7 40. Nxd6 Rc2 41. Nxf5 1-0

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