Chess Openings - The English Opening
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1. c4
The English Opening begins with 1. c4. The opening is named after the English world champion Howard Staunton, who played the move repeatedly in a famous 1843 match. The move fell out of fashion soon afterwords, but saw a revivial in the mid 1900's. Many recent world champions have played the English. Even Bobby Fischer (who played the King's Pawn Opening almost exclusively) used it as a surprise weapon against Boris Spassky in their famous 1972 "Match of the Century".
The English is similar to the Reti in that it is a very flexible opening. White may choose to follow a hypermodern approach, or he may choose to transpose into a number of classical openings. Typically, white fianchettos his King's bishop.
How Common is the English Opening?
Common at the Master Level
Rare at the Novice Level
The English is slightly less popular than the Reti Opening. Overall, it is played with about a 5% probability. Expect to see the move more often with higher level players.