Hey, so I recently played a 2300 USCF rated player who employed the english opening, and even though it was a close game, i played an awkard hedgehog system, mostly because i was unprepared for the english. I was planning on studying a system against the english but i was unsure of what system i should look into to. For example, should I study the hedgehog, or the Botvinnik system reversed or some other system. In addition, i am a more aggresive player but i don't mind playing a more positional system. Thanks

There are many good choices. Playing as pellik suggested will certainly do the job.

Other choices I would consider are to play 1...e5, 2...Nf6, 3...Nc6, and 4...Bb4 (assuming White has played Nc3). Check out some of Karpov's games in this line, for example Lautier-Karpov from Linares 1994.

Or, you can play symmetrically (1...c5, bring out the knights to c6 and f6, fianchetto the KB, and play for ...b5 with ...a6 and maybe ...Rb8). Efim Geller won some nice games in this style (I have his book The Application of Chess Theory).

How to meet the English?

1) Keep your upper lip stiff

2) Hand out a cup of tea and a cucumber sandwich

3) Pretend you don't notice young Johnny peeing in the fountain

4) Be prepared to laugh at their terrible Scottish accent impersonations

5) Restrain urge to mimic Braveheart by turning round and lifting your kilt.

We give this advice to all young Scotsmen heading south for work. :)

Yes: The White Flag of surrender and the Red Cross to patch them up.  What a gloriously self-aware flag.

Hey plenty!! Gawain won the british 2012 the other day and he won using the kings indian.

An Englishman!

sorry Indianattacker!

I used to play the English opening years ago, hoping for e5 for a reverse Sicilian.  I got sick fast of c4 c5 games.  I still transpose into it sometimes in king's indian attack games where black builds up to e5 then play c4 and YAY I have my reversed system.  As black though I meet it with standard KID structure.

I liked it better when you were being funny, HIP.

Thanks everyone! Yeah, so a reversed botvinnik system seems to be the answer. Lol Here_is_plenty, I'll keep those things in mind, i think i might actually be visiting London in the winter 

Afraid that doesn't narrow your visiting time down very much.

1.c4 d5!? 2.cxd5 c6! 3.dxc6 Nxc6 => The Vector Gambit analyzed by Clyde Nakamura.

A Smith-Morra-Gambit reversed...

A very underestimated opening, i scored very well with it...

Yeah, sounds pretty interesting , although i think i will just go with the reversed botvinnik system, but maybe i can use the vector gambit in blitz 

Love it. gOIN TO HAVE TO USE IT. my keY board messed up currently.

hahahahahahahahaha

if you play ...d5!? be prepared to face d4, transposing into a queens gambit. I personally hate playing that as black

The English defense (1. c4 b6) is well worth considering . It is complex, little explored and can produce very interesting games. While it is sometimes possible to transpose to favourable lines of the Queen's indian, Nimzoindian or Dutch, there are many distinctive lines as well.

The Tarrasch with the move order 1 ..c5 2.. e6

I love plauing the English Opening, and I would say that the most annoying defence would be 1...c5.

Agreed, defcon.  If it wasnt for c5 I would play it every time.