English Opening
White controls a central square from the flank while keeping both central pawns flexible. Learn to choose the next pawn break from Black's setup, not from the opening name alone.
Your plan as White
Control d5 with c4, develop flexibly, and decide which central pawn break fits the position.
The opponent’s plan
Choose a central counter or a symmetrical setup and watch for transpositions to d-pawn openings.
Watch out: An opening name does not fix the plan: the central pawn structure can change through transposition.
Opening game…
Practice this line as White.
Play three moves from the line you watched. Hints draw an arrow on the board. Complete a fresh attempt without hints or retries to pass.
Sign in to practiceComplete all 6 practices across both colors for one lesson completion. Replaying a completed lesson earns no additional leaderboard completion.
Name, background and sources
Howard Staunton's use of the opening is associated with its name. Botvinnik later helped popularize it in the 1930s.
Read the opening background on Chess.com ↗Lichess opening names and reference lines (CC0)
ChessSum provides original explanatory notes. Related lines are labeled separately. Reference lines illustrate ideas; they are not a claim that every other legal move is wrong.
Watch how the center and piece development change. Each arrow previews the next move.