1. c4 English Opening

HI everyone, I use to be an aggressive, attacking, tactical e4 & d4 player but I switched out because of way too much memorization. I don't have that much time to dedicate to chess anymore but I still want to be a NM someday.

Is there a 1. c4 English opening or system that kind of has that exciting flair? If so, what books, GMs, or other resources would you recommend? Right now I am toying with 1. c4, 2. Nc3, 3. g3, and 4. Bg2

Are you a Sicilian player? I play the English and normally aim for a Reversed Dragon or Taimanov but you don’t always get 1.c4, e5.

I recommend the 1. c4 2. g3 accelerated line to take away blacks limited tricks out of the opening  (like the reversed Rossolimo/Kramnik Attack) in 1.c4 2. Nc3. With the accelerated g3 line, white gets to keep things flexible, steer the game and hide the transpositions.

As an example, you have d4 experience so you can time that or d3 and keep it in Reversed Sicilian territory.

I play the Botvinnik System as an answer to blacks fianchetto lines (Great Snake Variation or Anglo-Indian as examples) or 1.c4, c5. I like it for the imbalance, central control and steering the game on certain files. Very little theory; 10 minutes to learn.

I recently had success with the Reversed Katalimov (1. c4, e5, 2. Sicilian as a surprise sideline which transposes to the Larsen Attack. You get a solid pawn structure and f4 opportunities. Lastly, you can double fianchetto to a light square dominant strategy when white goes to g6 and fianchettoes their bishop.

Ginger GM does a great job on YouTube.

Anglo-Indian/Grunfeld, Great Snake, Reversed Katlymov/Larson Attack and Botvinnik System examples:

https://www.chess.com/game/live/40453154735

https://www.chess.com/game/live/42103163025

https://www.chess.com/game/live/42607159847

https://www.chess.com/game/live/38542470953

The rare time you run into a Anglo-Scandinavian game:

https://www.chess.com/game/live/24620535969

Simon Williams aka Ginger GM has some good resources on the Botvinnik system which he described as "attacking from a proper foundation." Not sure it's quite what you're looking for. Could check out the free Short & Sweet chessable course to see if it's for you.

1.e5 reverse sicilian - g3 reverse dragon style I think should suit you. 

1.Nf6 + d6/g6: choose your favorite KID setup or go into the Botvinnik

1.Nf6 + e6: Mikenas attack (3.e4) is pretty nice

1.c5: Pretty annoying, often get symmetrical Botvinnik. 

1.e6: Personally I play into a QGD exchange. An alternative is to go into a Steiner French (2.e4), or even the Orthoschnapp gambit which is hyper-aggressive. Although theoretically refutable, it does well in club level practical play. Johnathan Schrantz has a pretty good youtube video on it. 

1.c6: I like the accelerated panov (2.e4) attack. Usually lots of tactical complications. 

1.d5: Anglo-Scandinavian is just a better Scandinavian for white.

1.b6: Yeah the English defense is annoying. Fortunately not too many people play it.

1.f5: I like to play 2.d4 and go straight into a Dutch. 

I think that's all the main responses I see in my games. While all these are viable or semi-viable black first moves, the majority of my games are reverse Sicilian or one of the Nf6 systems. Aside from e5 and c5, any other black response can turn into a d4 transposition with 2.d4. If you have experience in d4, and like certain openings from there you can port them over. 

A lot of people don't really prepare for the English an and try to use their d4 defense. Sometimes you can cause them to self-destruct by refusing to play d4. I find this particularly effective against grunfeld players. Also some people will try to castle queen side in a reverse Sicilian because it's what they do against the Sicilian. Here the extra tempo plays strongly in your favor.

Even the English has a ton of theory, and just trying to close your eyes, play those 4 moves, send then re-open them is a huge error.

For example:

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 f5 4.Bg2? (YES, Question Mark) 4...Nf6! And White has nothing!

Instead:

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 f5 4.Nf3! Nf6 5.d4! e4 6.Nh4!

With a Bishop on g2, this is not possible as the Knight is on the verge of being trapped.

Here, Black can cover f5 with 6...g6 or 6...d6 intending to chase the Knight away with ...g5.

White should develop his Bishop to e2 in this line, try to entice ...g5 from Black, he will go Ng2! (Not possible with a Bishop there) and h4!, looking to entice ...gxh4 or ...g4 out of Black, at which point White has a beautiful outpost on f4 for his Knight.

Marin covers all of this in his book on the English with 1...e5 from Quality Chess.  The first of a 3 book series on the English.