Chess Opening Secrets Revealed*: Chess: Understanding the English Opening (Symmetrical Variation) Part I

1 c4 c5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 g3 Line

What's the game plan for Black?

Black initially aims to secure d5 from
pressurization (... e6, ... exd5, ... Be6),
and then, when the time is ripe, he plans to
relieve the tension through ... d5-d4.

What's the game plan for White?

White intends to concentrate his firepower on
the d5 square. The key maneuvers are:
(i) King's bishop fianchetto (g2-g3/Bf1-g2)
(ii) A delayed d2-d4 pawn advance in conjunction
with Nxd5 and dxc5. Nxd5 creates a more manage-
able target following Black's ... exd5 response,
and dxc5 isolates that mark and exposes it
to additional pressure from the Queen.

Sample Variation Below

Also available:
Understanding the English Opening
(1 c4 e5 Line)
http://chesscoach1950.blogspot.com/2006/01/chess-understanding-english-opening.html
Chess: Understanding the English Opening
(Symmetrical Variation) Part II
http://chesscoach1950.blogspot.com/2006/07/chess-understanding-englis_115360840095778197.html
Chess: Understanding the English Opening
(Symmetrical Variation) Part III
http://chesscoach1950.blogspot.com/2006/07/chess-understanding-english-opening_22.html
Chess: Understanding the English Opening
(Symmetrical Variation) Part IV
http://chesscoach1950.blogspot.com/2006/07/chess-understanding-englis_115362587088403691.html

Sample Variation

1 c4

(i) Controls d5 and b5.
(ii) Opens up the d1-a4 diagonal for the Queen.

1 ... c5

(i) Exerts influence over d4 and b4.
(ii) Creates an outlet for the Queen along d8-a5.

1 ... e5

2 Nf3

Vying for d4 and keeping an eye on e5.

2 ... Nf6

White's control of d5 is questioned and the e4 square
comes into the knight's view.

3 Nc3

Supporting d5 and counterattacking e4.

3 ... d5

(i) Preventing White from dominating d5.
(ii) Opening up the c8-h3 diagonal for the bishop.

4 cxd5

Ceding the focal point so as to engineer its downfall.

4 ... Nxd5

5 g3

Vacating g2 for the f1 bishop.

5 Nxd5 Qxd5 6 g3 Nc6 7 Bg2 e5 8 d3 Qd7 9 O-O Bd6
10 Be3 O-O 11 Rc1 Qe7 12 Nd2 Bd7 13 Ne4 b6
14 Nxd6 Qxd6 15 b3 Rae8.
5 d3 Nc6 6 Bd2 e5 7 g3 Nc7 8 Bg2 Be7 9 a3 f6
10 Rb1 Be6 11 O-O O-O.
5 e3 Nxc3 6 bxc3 g6 7 d4 Bg7 8 Bd3 O-O 9 O-O Qc7
10 Qe2 b6 11 Rb1 Rd8 12 Rd1 Bb7 13 e4 cxd4
14 cxd4 Nc6 15 d5 Nd4 16 Nxd4 Bxd4.
5 Qa4+ Bd7 6 Qb3 Nb6 7 Ne5 e6 8 g3 Bc8 9 Bg2 Be7
10 O-O O-O 11 d3.
5 Qc2 e6 6 b3 Be7 7 Bb2 O-O 8 e3 Nc6 9 a3 b6
10 Nxd5 Qxd5 11 Bd3 h6 12 Bh7+ Kh8 13 Be4 Qd7
14 Ne5 Nxe5 15 Bxe5 Bb7 16 Bxb7 Qxb7.

5 ... Nc6

(i) Counterattacking e5 and strengthening d4.
(ii) Deploying the queenside in anticipation of
Bf1-g2.
5 ... g6 6 Bg2 Nc6 7 O-O Bg7 8 Nxd5 Qxd5 9 d3 O-O
10 Be3 Bd7 11 Nd4 Qd6 12 Nxc6 Bxc6 13 Bxc6 Qxc6
14 Rc1 Qe6 15 Rxc5 Qxa2 16 Rb5 b6 17 Qa1 Qe6 18 Qa4.
5 ... Nxc3 6 bxc3 g6 7 Qa4+ Nd7 8 Bg2 Bg7 9 O-O O-O
10 Rb1 Qc7 11 Qh4 Nf6 12 d3 Nh5 13 Be3 b6 14 d4.

6 Bg2

6 d4 e6 7 Bg2 cxd4 8 Nxd4 Nxc3 9 bxc3 Nxd4
10 Qxd4 Qxd4 11 cxd4 Bb4+ 12 Bd2 Bxd2+ 13 Kxd2.
6 Nxd5 Qxd5 7 Bg2 e5 8 d3 Be7 9 O-O O-O
10 Be3 Qe6 11 Qb3.
6 Qa4 Nb6 7 Qe4 g6 8 Bg2 Bg7 9 d3 h6
10 O-O e5 11 Qe3 Qe7 12 Qd2 O-O 13 b3 Be6.

6 ... e6

(i) Safeguarding d5.
(ii) Enabling the f8 bishop's development.
6 ... Nc7 7 O-O e5 8 d3 Be7 9 Nd2 Bd7 10 Nc4 f6
11 f4 b5 12 Ne3 exf4 13 gxf4 Rb8.
6 ... Nxc3 7 bxc3 e5 8 O-O Be7 9 d3 O-O 10 Rb1 Qc7
11 Nd2 Be6 12 Qa4 Bd7 13 Nc4 b6 14 Ne3 Rac8
15 Nd5 Qd6 16 f4.

7 O-O

7 d4 Ndb4 8 e3 cxd4 9 exd4 Nxd4 10 O-O Nxf3+
11 Qxf3 Be7 12 Rd1 Qa5 13 Bf4 O-O.
7 Qa4 Bd7 8 Qb3 Ndb4 9 a3 c4 10 Qd1 Nd5.

7 ... Be7

7 ... Nf6 8 e3 Be7 9 d4 O-O 10 a3 cxd4 11 Nxd4 Bd7
12 Qe2 Nxd4 13 exd4 Bc6 14 Bxc6 bxc6.

8 d4

8 b3 O-O 9 Bb2 Bf6.
8 d3 O-O 9 Qb3 Nxc3 10 bxc3 e5 11 Nd2 Rb8
12 Bxc6 Be6 13 Qa4 bxc6 14 Qxa7 f5.

8 ... O-O

8 ... cxd4 9 Nxd5 exd5 10 Nxd4 O-O 11 Be3 Bf6
12 Rc1 Bxd4 13 Bxd4 Bg4 14 Bc5 Re8 15 Re1 d4 16 b4.
8 ... Nxc3 9 bxc3 O-O 10 e4 cxd4 11 cxd4 b6
12 d5 exd5 13 exd5 Nb4 14 Ne5 Bf6 15 Re1 Bb7
16 Ba3 Re8 17 Bxb4 Rxe5 18 Rc1 Rxe1+ 19 Qxe1
19 ... a5 20 Bc3 Bxc3 21 Rxc3.
8 ... Nxd4 9 Nxd4 Nxc3 10 bxc3 cxd4 11 cxd4 O-O
12 Rb1 Qd7 13 Bf4 Rd8 14 Qc2 Qxd4 15 Rfd1 Qf6 16 Qc7
16 ... Rf8.

9 Nxd5

9 e4 Ndb4 10 a3 cxd4 11 Nb5 Qb6 12 Nbxd4 e5
13 Nxc6 Nxc6 14 b4 Be6 15 Be3 Qa6 16 Qb1 Bc4
17 Rd1 Rfd8 18 Qb2.
9 dxc5 Nxc3 10 bxc3 Bxc5 11 Qc2 h6 12 Rd1 Qf6
13 Rb1 e5 14 Qa4.

9 ... exd5

9 ... Qxd5 10 Be3 Qc4 11 dxc5 Rd8 12 Qb3 Qxe2
13 Rfe1 Qd3 14 Qxd3 Rxd3 15 Rad1 Rxd1 16 Rxd1 e5
17 Ng5 Bg4 18 Rd2.

10 dxc5

10 Be3 c4 11 Ne5 Bf5 12 b3 c3 13 g4 Nxe5 14 gxf5 Ng4
15 Bf4 Bd6 16 Bg3 Rc8 17 Rc1.
10 b3 Bf6 11 Bb2 Re8 12 Qd2 cxd4 13 Nxd4 Nxd4
14 Bxd4 Bxd4 15 Qxd4 Rxe2 16 Qxd5 Qxd5 17 Bxd5
17 ... Be6 18 Bxb7 Rd8.

10 ... Bxc5