In this training, you will learn how to control the e5 pawn push or how to mobilize an attack on the kingside… in short, you will learn how to actually play the English opening and come out ahead of your opponent.
When two of the GOATs played an opening in a World Championship match 5 times, and…
(Kasparov and Karpov played this opening in the 1984 WCC match.)
The smartest chess bot plays this opening against another super computer for a win, you know that…
The opening is worth it.
And that is why you need to learn the English opening.
The English opening is a flank opening to take your opponent out of his comfort zone and makes it hard for him to follow his opening book.
The position stays fluid for a long time—only the more experienced player might take advantage of the little nuances arising from this opening.
In this training, you will learn how to control the e5 pawn push or how to mobilize an attack on the kingside… in short, you will learn how to actually play the English opening and come out ahead of your opponent.
What you will learn:
- 1 …e6 and 2 …d5. Black goes for this formation against your 1.c4 move. Let Valeri show you how exactly you can fight against this setup and why 2.Nc3 is the best move for White in this line.
- The e-pawn push. Black might want to push the e-pawn forward and challenge White’s control of the center. White, with his fianchettoed kingside bishop, can look over the e4 square…and force a pawn exchange.
- Queenside tussle. In the 1…e5/2…Nf6 line, Black usually ends up with a lot of pieces on the queenside. White usually has to react fast and mobilize forces there…not to lag behind his opponent. How? Let Valeri show you…
- Doubled pawns for White. With White bringing out his queen’s knight first, Black often targets it with a bishop sacrifice for a destroyed pawn structure. Is that really as bad as it sounds? Maybe not. Learn more about this.
- 4…Bc5 analyzed. This variation is a bit more aggressive than the rest. Black eyes the White king and has the potential to launch a devastating attack if White is not careful. How to play this? More in Chapter 11.
IM Valeri Lilov (FIDE 2438)
Better known as Tiger Lilov is a professional chess coach and lecturer renowned for his personalized approach to training students and professional players from all over the world. Having been an active tournament player all his life, he has won many international open tournaments and championships including the European Individual School Chess Championship U10 (Moscow, 2000) and the Kulaga Memorial International Open (Minsk, 2007).
