What English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation puts on the board
Material is level, with white to move.
Black has central pawns on e5.
White can still castle either side; Black can still castle either side.
What White is trying to build
Control d5 from the flank and choose between a d4 centre and a kingside fianchetto.
Use the c-file and queenside space when the centre stays flexible.
How Black challenges it
Claim central space only when it cannot be undermined.
Mirror White carefully or break the symmetry with an active central plan.
The tactical pattern to recognise
A reversed Sicilian structure gives White an extra tempo for kingside play.
Breaks on d4 and …d5 decide which flank pieces become active.
What to check before committing
Making slow flank moves without a decision about the centre.
Copying moves after symmetry has become tactically unsafe.
Choose the next book move
Preview a move to see the resulting position and the idea behind it. Select it to continue on the same board.
Reference links and alternate move orders
Move orders
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc61.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Bb4 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Ne5
Related variations
- English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Bogoljubow Defense
- English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense
- English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Catalan Defense Accepted
- English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Keres Defense
- English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Kurajica Defense
- English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined
- English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Tarrasch Defense
- English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Wimpy System
- English Opening: Anglo-Dutch Defense, Hickmann Gambit
- English Opening: Anglo-Dutch Variation, Chabanon Gambit
- English Opening: Anglo-Dutch Variation, Ferenc Gambit
- English Opening: Anglo-Grünfeld Defense, Korchnoi Variation