Chess lessons › Chess openings
The English and the Réti
Flank openings that fight for the centre from the side, and how they change into other openings.
The idea
Fight for the centre from the side, and decide the rest later.
- White starts with the c-pawn: a flank opening.
- From the side, it controls the centre square d5.
- The Réti has the same idea, with the knight going to f3 first.
In a game: A flexible start; watch for transpositions into openings you know, like the Queen’s Gambit.
How the lesson begins
A flank opening fights for the centre from the side. In the English Opening White starts with 1.c4. The pawn controls d5 without taking space on d4 or e4, and White decides about the rest later.
It is much rarer than 1.e4: among players rated 1200 to 1599 on Lichess, about 3 games began 1.c4 for every 100 that began 1.e4.
- 1... e5 Black takes the centre at once.
- 2. Nc3 Lichess calls this the Reversed Sicilian, because it is a Sicilian Defence with the colours reversed.
Find the move
White to move. Play the English Opening: attack the square d5 with a pawn from the side.
A hint
The pawn on c2 moves two squares.
Show the answer
1. c4
c4 is the English Opening. The pawn attacks d5, and White keeps the d-pawn and the e-pawn free for later. It is a flexible first move, and the engine counts it among the good ones.
In numbers
How often it is played
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | 4.5 |
| 800 to 1199 | 14 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 19 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 29 |
| 2000 and up | 44 |
How the games ended
White won 51%, 5% were drawn and Black won 44%, over 46,078 games that start this way, in a sample of rated Lichess games from 2026.