It's a perfectly sound and good opening, Play it if you want.
English opening
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"... For players with very limited experience, I recommend using openings in which the play can be clarified at an early stage, often with a degree of simplification. To accomplish this safely will take a little study, because you will have to get used to playing wiith open lines for both sides' pieces, but you can't eliminate risk entirely in the opening anyway. ... teachers all over the world suggest that inexperienced players begin with 1 e4. ... You will undoubtedly see the reply 1 ... e5 most often when playing at or near a beginner's level, ... After 2 Nf3, 2 ... Nc6 will occur in the bulk of your games. ... I recommend taking up the classical and instructive move 3 Bc4 at an early stage. Then, against 3 ... Bc5, it's thematic to try to establish the ideal centre by 4 c3 and 5 d4; after that, things can get complicated enough that you need to take a look at some theory and learn the basics; ... Of course, you can also play 1 d4 ... A solid and more-or-less universal set-up is 2 Nf3 and 3 Bf4, followed in most cases by 4 e3, 5 Be2 and 6 0-0. I'd rather see my students fight their way through open positions instead; however, if you're not getting out of the opening alive after 1 e4, this method of playing 1 d4 deserves consideration. ... a commonly suggested 'easy' repertoire for White with 1 Nf3 and the King's indian Attack ... doesn't lead to an open game or one with a clear plan for White. Furthermore, it encourages mechanical play. Similarly, teachers sometimes recommend the Colle System ..., which can also be played too automatically, and usually doesn't lead to an open position. For true beginners, the King's Indian Attack and Colle System have the benefit of offering a safe position that nearly guarantees passage to some kind of playable middlegame; they may be a reasonable alternative if other openings are too intimidating. But having gained even a small amount of experience, you really should switch to more open and less automatic play." - IM John Watson in a section of his 2010 book, Mastering the Chess Openings, Volume 4
Oct 1, 2019
0
#4
Sure, there's nothing wrong with the English. It's a line.
You might want to just briefly learn a bit about the Queen's Gambit (Accepted, Orthodox and Slav), the Reti and the Catalan... just to ensure that the most likely transpositions won't take you completely out of your depth.
bonebroth wrote:
King & Rook & Pawn Endings
study th other end of the horse Maguire hey magoo what u call a frozen communist hammer n popsickle dinna believe me talk 2 carlsen's buddy jon ludwig hammer his ideas hit the nail on the head get 2 know sfa they're welsh ar y gweill u r a runner doesn't matter how u start only how u finish
Are you related to James Joyce by any chance? lol
Very new to chess so don’t go hammering me. Constructive comments please😁 I’ve been told by a club player to learn an opening so as a English man recently moved to Wales I’ve chosen the English seemed like a fun idea as I’m literally clueless! And I’ve actually had some good wins with it as lower rated players don’t seem to know the lines as well but can you advise is this a good idea as I’m told it can easily transposed by better players. Any tips? Pros cons?
Many thanks