Is 1. ...g6 (aka the Modern Defence) a good response to the English?

Interesting approach to the English opening and flexible too.

For example, you wouldn't call 1.c4 e6 2.d4 d5 an english. Same for other openings, after 1 move you don't name them yet.

Dudes calm down with your (EXCUSE ME) stupid fight.

Yes, you cant really determine what opening it will be, but you can name the position.

"Hey Bronx, my chum, what did you face?"

- Yeah dud, I faced the English (when talking about 1.c4).

The position after 1.c4 g6, it is OK to call it "Great snake" altough I would preffer it to simply call it the Modern which CAN TRANSPOSE TO other systems BUT for the moment is a Modern.

Greetings, dud, just my humble opinion, please lighten up my chum brain if you can.

I can guarantee you that no good player would say something ridiculous like "I played the Great Snake today." when the game started 1.c4 g6. The thought alone makes me want to burst out laughing.

English usually starts with 1.c4 or 1.Nf3 (1.g3 is also possible, but for good reason rather rare, it just gives black tons of extra-options). But if black does not play c5 or e5 early in the game, there is no way this is going to be an English Opening.

Ok Rumo, now that I think about it, you are definitely right, I BEG YOUR PARDON.

1- Yes, it would be stupid to say "The great snake" because you obviously transposed into an actual well known opening.

2- I was thinking that saying "I play the Great Snake against 1.c4" was correct even if the name is a joke, however that sounds stupid and it is not really an opening, so you should call it the Modern. However, even in that case, it is too general, and you should specify, for example with "I play the Modern, aiming for the Averbakh variation against 1.c4"

3- I slightly disagree dear friend, I know many players that will play English estructures arising after 1...e5 (c4-d3-Rb1-b4) even against MY ASSASIN, AND HUMBLE King's Indian, however that is rare and I dont think common.

Okay, but if you play a King's Indian setup, then I'm sure that you will play e5 at some point early in the opening? Maybe not on move 1, but after developing the kingside and castling and playing d6?

I will, but wouldnt White be entitled to "punish" my opening by grabbing the center?

Grabbing the center has benefits, but also involves responsibilities. Now he has to consolidate his grip on the new territory, and squash your attempts to prove that the center Pawns are a target.

Pawns only move forward, so if it turns out that White has bitten off more than he can chew... there's no turning back.

Sometimes I wonder why would Rumo be up on chess.com at 6:20 AM.

Bleemu, lets be real dud, there are no responsabilities, just grab the center, play some moves of theory and hope you can outplay me in the closed GAME. OH YEAH MY CHUM.

Not convinced. The further white extends his Pawn phalynx the more potential levers Black has at his disposal.

It's very difficult to suppress all of Black's possible counter-play. There are just too many different resources at Black's disposal. In databases White might have an edge, but that means little in practical play between non-Masters.

I used to play these fianchetto systems a lot in OTB (Over-the-board) play, back in the Fischer era... in the 1970s and 1980s. They were one of my main weapons for must-win tournament situations.

You can't bring a computer into the tournament hall, and players at our level can't remember that much theory. As long as Black plays actively and flexibly, White will not find it easy to just "grab the center and play some moves of theory".

Then I must be a prodigy, I still remember most of the lines I have studied.

Anyways, I dont think it is that hard for White.

Just learn 9 moves and pray for the best.

Lol

Maybe it's just my playing style... most of my decisive games were as Black.

I really enjoy those K-side fianchetto formations, and there's a wide variety of formations to adopt, depending on how White arranges his pieces.

I like the Panno against the Fianchetto formations, however I always find ways to waste my time and never study lines .

 Sometimes I wonder that, too. In all kinds of openings, white has the option to play more critical lines or to play less critical lines. Building the full centre is certainly the most critical test against your King's Indian setup. But there can be many good reasons why white might not want to do that. Grabbing space is ambitious, but usually also leaves weaknesses behind.

So if black at some point plays d6 and e5 while white's pawns are on c4 and d3, we do have a position from the English opening on the board: A reversed Closed Sicilian.

I've been studying the English Defense as a response to 1. c4. It's nice because not many people are familiar with it and you can use the same defense against 1. d4. GM Simon Williams has a series of videos on the English Defense here on Chess.com and I found a book on the English Defense from Daniel King (1999, Everyman Chess).

Well, I have to agree with my new CHUM Rumo, 6...e5 is still an early e5. So a normal English estructure could arise after it,.

The English Defense looks interesting, however I do not think White should have a hard time with it.

I remember that before learning theory and when I was a really patzer dud I used to play 1...b6 against the English thinking I had just refuted that thing because I got to control the long diagonal earlier on.

Later on I fell in love with my wife. The King's Indian.

Also a favorite of mine. Here's a game against a 2000+ rated opponent:

Great game, it was sweet to see Black getting all that queenside counterplay.