A very tactic oppening  

i love this opening . This opening is good

Magnus Carlsen world #1 plays it. Must be good opening and it is.

I favor this over 1.e4 now.

hmmm......... i see

A very well-known, respectable, and OLD opening, first played seriously by Howard Staunton. Most great players have played it from time to time, and some, Botvinnik and Petrosian, for instance, made very common use of it. Some people on this thread are making comments about the "bad statistics" for white, but I'm not really sure what they're talking about... The statistics look great to me, with white scoring at least 10% higher in nearly all black responses. White typically puts his knights on c3 and f3 and fianchettos on the kingside, though sometimes the king's knight makes its way to e2 after an early e3, in which case white plays for a d4 advance.

 Essentially, black has three major options here:

----

1...c5, known as the "Symmetrical English"

This move makes perfect sense, and is the most "classical" reply to 1. c4. It is, perhaps, the most variation-rich response to the english, and actually one of the most complicated. Against 1...c5, white typically plays either 2. Nc3 or 2. Nf3. 2. Nc3 is the more classical response, fitting most with the "hypermodern" spirit of the opening. 2. Nf3 is a bit more of a contemporary interpretation of the english and prepares immediate center attacks, as white is already threatening d4. Sometimes, black will continue to "mimic" white's moves for a while longer, with both sides fianchettoing on the kingside, and sometimes black will break symmetry early on with moves that threaten a d5 advance. In any case, 1...c5 is certainly not boring for either side, and is one of the most critical responses to 1. c4.

----

1...e5, usually known as a "Reversed Sicilian" or as simply "English, 1. c4 e5"

This is the most radical and challenging reply to c4. Unlike his other responses, black immediately challenges the validity of 1. c4. Many players hate playing this as white, others love it. Essentially, it is one of the necessary consequences of playing 1. c4: If you don't feel perfectly comfortable with the white pieces here, then don't play the English. Despite all this, 1...e5 is actually the least complicated way to deal with 1. c4, and is, in a sense, rather simpler to learn for both sides than other black options. One would assume that play often resembles a reversed Sicilian Dragon character: however, black must be careful. The extra tempo for white means that many of the most popular anti-Dragon lines don't work nearly as well as they work in the normal Dragon.

----

1...Nf6

This move has rather less independent significance than either of black's other two options. Black maintains maximum flexibility, and does not yet commit. White, of course, can "correct" his first move with 2. d4, or continue with a normal English setup with a knight on c3 and a kingside fianchetto. In any event, black can easily transpose into the symmetrical or reversed sicilian, or even an obscure sideline, as the king's knight usually goes on f6 in any case.

jetfighter13 you were lucky. 21...Ne7?? was an awful move. Better was 21...Bd7 defending the threated King and Rook fork on c6

i consider it good but not execellent opening.

hh

effective

good opening but has some mistakes

not bad....

I just love the English...though i took it up coz I wanted to avoid Budapester Gambit after 1.d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5!  from black during serious tournament play....

Never really took to it.

http://www.chess.com/tournament/english-opening5

English opening tournament

i lov this oppening

I will try and then tell