The English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6 reaches a named position after 7 moves: 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 Bb4 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nf3 Re8 6. O-O e4 7. Nd4 Nc6
In practical games, this line matters because the early pawn and piece choices decide which middlegame plans are natural. Use the board above to learn the move order, then complete Practice without hints before adding the opening to your regular queue.
If this exact branch does not appear in your games, study the related lines below. Openings often transpose, and recognizing the family pattern is more useful than memorizing one narrow sequence.
The idea behind this line
White controls d5 from the flank and keeps several central structures available.
What to look for
- Use Bg2 to control the long diagonal.
- Choose d4 or e4 based on Black's setup.
- Expand with b4 when the center is stable.
Position details
This line branches from English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Smyslov System with Bg2.
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