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 The English Opening...Believe it or not,the old saying that Fischer invented...."1.e4 is best by test",is not necessarily the case anymore,especially on the GM levels.Even 1.d4 has given equal results in many,many cases. My favorite English is the "Symmetrical Variation"(1.c4,c5) which as MCO-15 is quoted as saying..."the Symmetrical Variation which is rich in possibilities ranging from countergambits and aggressive isolated queen pawn formations,to cramped but dynamic hedgehog setups and the quite subtle maneuvering of the Ultra-Symmetrical Variation." In time,I will get into more detail on the English(without transposition) into the regular Q pawn openings.But I just wanted to clear up something a bit before some of you guys read other outside club comments and decide that the English is not good.WRONG!Its actually quite excellent and makes alot of players on the black side a bit apprehensive and leery when white opens up with 1.c4.That alone is good!Remember that psychology?You forgot already?Shame on you! And as a 2500 player,I ought to "know" as they say!Am I saying that this should be studied first compared to other openings?No,not at all.But I just want to get the facts straight here regarding this flank opening.To become better at the game,you must increase your study and awareness of other openings.Way too many players stick only with 1.e4 or 1.d4 and then stumble when approached by the English or try the English as an opening theme.The English is no weaker than a million ton barbell slamming down on a flea from 100,000 feet altitude!And YOU will be the flea against me when I open up with the English!Think i'm joking?Think again!Yes,it is a very solid opening unless you have no idea what to do with it!But that can be with any opening,not just 1.c4! More to come in the future on the English,but just some general thoughts for now.Other input from the club members is always appreciated. ====================================================================== shamash 05-May-14, 03:17 Bagirov, Franco, Karpov on the English By transposition, I play the English a lot, and when I play the English, usuually it's the Symmetrical. In spirit, I reach for Bagirov. Urging his ideas to flow into my fingers. Then for ideas, for the ideas behind the move choices and move-orders, I reach for the slim, well-written, inspiring, useful, and engaging volume by Paraguayan GM Zenon Franco -- a very approachable grandmaster. The books -- ideas -- and fighting spirit which I find useless are those on the English by Romanian GM Mihail Marin (Grandmaster? He's a Drawmaster: 50% Draws, 38% wins). Ultimately, I make my choices by reading through the annotated games in Karpov's unrivalled "How to Play the English Opening" -- (His is NOT organized like other opening books -- you sort of meander through an exploration of ideas, feeling how in Karpov's mind the opening had developed over recent decades in his practice.) Highly recommended: "How to Play the English Opening" by Anatoly Karpov bigpeta 05-May-14, 07:27 my favourite C4 has been my preferred opening for a decade now. I usually prefer the Bremen variation. against c4 i inevitably play the symmetrical c5. for me it plays white at his own game and gives black some measure of control in the game. The variations and transpositions are seemingly endless. To get the full benefit from these i would suggest the lower rated players leaving it for a while so they have the experience to see the full picture. wrecking_ball 05-May-14, 07:41 Just had a recent win against this 2232 player winning an English.As bigpeta says,it can easily transpose to many other openings.I prefer to stay within the pure Eng.lines,however.Bremen,as you can see is one of my favorites as well. game darknite13 05-May-14, 08:17 c4 or as I call it, my curveball opening... I love to play English games, of just about any variation. The reasons I like it are as follows: 1. It is quite a potent weapon, especially with less experienced players who don't understand the development. 2. Psychologically I am playing the person's best weapon against him -- if he plays 1. ... e5 he is in a sense forced to play against his own defence. Interesting the 1. ... e5 response is not all that threatening to me -- what I dread are the symmetrical variations 3. In learning to play the English Opening, you are learning a little about how the Sicilian works. The thinking is that if the Sicilian is good for Black then It must be good White playing it with an extra tempo. My Sicilian experiences on black got so much better once I had a solid understanding of the English. wrecking_ball 05-May-14, 09:05 I have several wins with my favorite Eng....the Symm,playing as black on GK.But I have to search for those,since I was TA at the time and did not save them anywhere.I'll run into them over time and perhaps post them.On the higher levels of play...2400+ or higher,I have drawn most of my Symm games as black and white.But interesting enough on the 2100-2200 range,I have won many Symm games playing the black side.I do not simply attribute those wins to a rating difference,but as darknite13 suggests,my opponents(even on a 2100-2200 level)are simply not prepared for that variation.I have had mirrored results with the Trompowski,but that's another thread.When opponents are not prepared or do not have a history of those kind of games to refer back to,many times they become lost in the eddies and currents of the best lines to play. Some additional stats on the English: old.chesstempo.com Some of my quick summary thoughts on specific English openings,to be covered in more detail depending upon the members interest: 1.Four Knights:Very reliable.Flexibility to counterattack 1. c4,e5 2.Nc3,Nf6 3.Nf3,Nc6 2.Closed Variation with 3.g3: White,many times obtains complete domination of the Queenside 3.Symmetrical Variation:1.e4,e5: Generally,the most exciting of the English.Who's pawn sacrifice comes first,usually turns the tide with who effectively does it.. |
