{"id":2964,"date":"2022-03-06T02:56:20","date_gmt":"2022-03-06T02:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/?p=2964"},"modified":"2022-06-30T15:18:15","modified_gmt":"2022-06-30T15:18:15","slug":"english-opening-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/english-opening-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"English Opening: (Basics, Variations, Benefits and How to Counter)"},"content":{"rendered":"

⭐⭐⭐ Take 8 minutes to read and improve your chess game ➡️ : This article was first published on, and is Copyright of Chessquestions.com<\/p>\n

There are many openings for white in chess and this guide is around one which is slightly different but no less effective using 1.c4 as the first move instead of the King or Queen’s pawn as the first move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ultimate English Opening (1.c4) Guide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In this post, I will introduce you to the Ultimate Guide to the English opening if you have no idea what it is as a new chess player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have found this English Opening article through searching google, for more information, the article will provide the basic moves, how to play it, variations and of course how to counter the English opening if you are playing the black pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is 1.c4 a good opening for Beginners?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I think it is fair to suggest that the English chess opening might be suited more to intermediate and more advanced players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not because it is difficult to learn, but rather, central pawn openings form the basis of learning opening theory as a beginner and should be the focus before moving on to flank openings such as 1.c4<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. c4 is a good opening to learn and compares to d4 and e4; it all depends on the kind of middlegame<\/a> you’d want to play but be aware that from a positional nature, there is a lot more to learn by opening with this pawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a total of 20 possible first moves for white in chess<\/a> and 1.c4 is in fact the second strongest opening after the Queen’s pawn opening of 1.d4 and slightly better than the 1. e4<\/a> King’s pawn opening when looking at the balance of the game after one move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we are not considering the game balance after a single move here, there is much more to do to gain an advantage in the chess game than move a single pawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does c4 mean in chess?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

c4 in chess is a grid identification for a particular square on the chess board in chess notation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I regret to say that if that answer is required to that question at this stage of your chess education, this opening is not going to be for you, and I would suggest heading to my post on the numbers and letters on a chess board guide<\/a> first before you start playing the English Opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get familiar with that, learn some chess notation and perhaps a couple of these openings for white in chess<\/a>, and maybe come back to the English at a later date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top 3 Advantages of Playing 1.c4<\/h3>\n\n\n\n