Against the English: 1...e5: free opening course
Black answers 1.c4 with 1...e5 and gets a Sicilian with the colours reversed. You learn the Four Knights against 4.g3, 4.e3 and 4.d4, the Reversed Dragon and the Bremen system. You also learn the sharp 2...Bb4 and two traps that win a piece.
Key ideas
- Pin the c3 knight with ...Bb4. That knight guards d5, so trading it often gives Black the centre.
- Push the e-pawn to e4 when it hits the f3 knight. A rook on e8 supports it.
- Against the fianchetto, hit the centre with ...d5 and put the knight on b6. Then castle and play ...Be6 and ...f5.
- Watch the long diagonal. A bishop on f6 and a pawn push to e4 can catch the rook on a1.
- Do not leave pieces loose on g5 or d5. Many English traps start with a knight that has no way back.
The 6 variations in the course
- Four Knights: 4.g3 Bb4: 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bb4 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O Re8 … — Against the fianchetto Black pins the c3 knight, castles and plays ...Re8. After ...Bxc3 and ...e4 Black trades the d4 knight and builds a firm centre with ...d5 and ...c6.
- Four Knights: 4.e3 Bb4 5.Qc2: 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Bb4 5. Qc2 O-O 6. Nd5 Re8 … — White plays the quiet 4.e3 and the tricky 7.Qf5. Black answers with ...d6 and takes back on f6 with the g-pawn. Black gets two bishops and a big centre.
- Four Knights: 4.d4 exd4: 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 … — White opens the centre like an Open Sicilian. Black pins with ...Bb4, takes back on c6 with the b-pawn and builds a strong centre with ...d5. The rook uses the open b-file.
- Reversed Dragon: 3.g3 d5: 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nb6 6. Nf3 Nc6 … — Black hits the centre with ...d5, puts the knight on b6 and castles. Then Black plays ...Be6 and ...f5 and gains space on the king's side.
- Bremen System: 2.g3: 1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. O-O Nb6 … — White starts with g3 and Nf3. Black plays ...d5, moves the knight to b6 early and meets the queenside push with ...Bf6 and ...a5. The bishop on f6 aims at the a1 rook.
- 2...Bb4: trade on c3 and ...f5: 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. g3 Bxc3 4. bxc3 d6 5. Bg2 f5 6. d3 Nf6 … — Black gives the bishop for the c3 knight at once. Black keeps pawns on dark squares with ...d6 and ...e5. Then Black takes space with ...f5 and brings the queen to the king's side.
Traps you will learn (2)
- 5.Nd5 e4 6.Ng5: the knight is cut off — After 4.g3 Bb4 5.Nd5 e4 the knight on f3 must go to h4. If it goes to g5, Black takes on d5 and the queen on d8 wins the g5 knight.
- Bremen: 10.Bb2 e4 wins a piece — In the Bremen line the f6 bishop aims at the a1 rook. If White plays the natural 10.Bb2, the pawn push to e4 hits the f3 knight. The bishops come off, and White loses a piece.
How the opening courses work
Each course teaches an opening in a few main variations. For every move you read why it is played, which other moves are good, and which tempting moves are mistakes and why. Each course also shows the traps of the opening: the ones you can set and the ones to avoid.
After a lesson you play the moves yourself in a drill. The lines you learn go into your review, which brings them back when you are about to forget them (spaced repetition). 30 line courses add many short lines per opening, a few new ones a day, and every named opening, more than 3,800 lines, has a lesson of its own.
Questions and answers
Is the Against the English: 1...e5 course free?
Yes. The Against the English: 1...e5 course on chessGM is free, with all 6 variations, 2 traps, the drills and the review. There is no paid plan that unlocks more.
Who is the Against the English: 1...e5 course for?
It is a course at intermediate level for Black, written for players rated around 1600.
How do I practise this opening?
After each lesson, play the moves yourself in the drill. The lines you learn go into your review, which brings them back when you are about to forget them, and you can try the opening in games against the bots.