English Opening

After 1...e5 Black gets the open centre that White has against the Sicilian, but White is the one playing the Sicilian here, a full move up. Positions that are sharp and double-edged for Black in a Sicilian become safe and comfortable for White with the extra tempo.

The g2 bishop is the English's key piece: it hits d5 and the whole long diagonal down to b7 and a8. When Black takes space in the centre, White's pieces work against it from the side, and any black piece that leaves b7 unprotected or blocks the diagonal carelessly becomes a target.

White adds e4 to c4 and builds a bind on d5 that is very hard for Black to break. The knight goes to e2 (keeping f2-f4 possible), White castles, and plays d3, Be3 and f4 or a queenside expansion with a3, Rb1 and b4. Botvinnik used this structure to beat the world's best in the 1950s and 60s.

When Black copies White's setup, the game becomes a slow manoeuvring battle. White's small advantage is the move: the first to achieve a useful break (b4 for White, ...b5 or ...d5 for Black) usually gets the initiative. Queenside expansion with a3, Rb1 and b4 is White's main plan.

The knight jump to d5 is White's standard way to question a bishop on b4 or to gain space. And because White's queen can reach a4 in one move, any black bishop left undefended on b4 or g4 can be hit with Qa4+, a check that attacks it at the same time. Black must keep those bishops protected.

Against 1...Nf6 and 2...e6, Black would like to transpose into a Nimzo-Indian or Queen's Indian. 3.e4 stops that plan and grabs the centre at once; after 3...d5 4.e5 the game becomes sharp and unbalanced, a good example of how English players use move orders to steer the game.

With the g2 bishop and the half-open c-file, White plays on the queenside: a3, Rb1 and b4-b5 to kick the c6 knight and open lines towards Black's queenside pawns. The Sicilian player's minority-attack plans, a tempo up.

Behind the c4-e4 wall White has a safe king and a clear kingside plan: Be3, Qd2, f4 and sometimes f5. Black's counterplay comes from ...a6 and ...b5 or a timely ...f5, so White times f4 carefully.

In the Rubinstein System Black builds a reversed Maróczy Bind with pawns on c5 and e5. Black's pieces are slightly passive, but White has no easy way in; Black plays ...Be6 and ...O-O and waits for White to overextend.

Black pins the c3 knight, castles and pushes ...e4 to gain space and kick the f3 knight. If White has to take back on c3 with a pawn, Black gets a comfortable game against the doubled pawns; White looks for d3 or f3 to break up the e4 pawn.

If Black takes on c4, White does not rush to win the pawn back with Qa4; Ne5 opens the long diagonal and hits c4, and the pressure on b7 makes it hard for Black to hold the extra pawn and develop the c8 bishop at the same time.