Recommendations for Black for an English Botvinnik player?

What do you alternate to when black doesn’t play into the English Botvinnik System?

I took the route of my coach by starting off with e4 and the Sicilian until I was ready to migrate into the English to appreciate the flexibility and transpositions.

You’re forcing the opposite.

With that said, there are times you can transpose to the Reversed Botvinnik System with c5, then e5 and d6 along the way. Keep in mind, chess is a two man game so don’t go auto-pilot. 

Against d4, I play the East Indian Defence and you get the familiar dragon bishop. It’s flexible and ambitious allowing you to play on all sides of the board, as an example your probably familiar with pushing f5 being a Botvinnik player. I prefer c5 being a Sicilian and Grunfeld player.

You can also play the East Indian Defence against c4 which has strong immediate winning chances for the imbalance, tactics and open game, which not all English players want.

If you prefer a closed and calmer game, go with the Reversed Botvinnik System against c4.

Really, just go into the open Sicilian or the e3 French Variation to get familiar structures in the English a tempo down and wing it.

After you bank some Sicilian experience, the ideas are transferable as white.

Thank you very much indeed for this Chuck639, this is interesting and helpful.

Here’s the Reversed Botvinnik against c4:

https://www.chess.com/game/live/38075954565

https://www.chess.com/game/live/40259469995

https://www.chess.com/game/live/40264765063

East Indian Defence. Notice how flexible it is against d4, as you will frequently run into the London System or QG quite a bit, so it’s important to be flexible and choose where you want to create counter play.

In the Botvinnik System, you normally create counter play on the f file, in this case, we get that option, or play up the middle or even on the queenside, depending what is available for counter play:

https://www.chess.com/game/live/55411250109

https://www.chess.com/game/live/44598551583

https://www.chess.com/game/live/53917166859

https://www.chess.com/game/live/53673583975

https://www.chess.com/game/live/53659222741

You can play the East Indian Defence against c4 if you want an immediately sharp and open game, I’m still working on my tactics and Grunfeld lines, so may be one day I will have games to show you.

Good luck with your studies.

Reversed Botvinnik vs the Reti:

https://www.chess.com/game/live/53665165845

Thanks so much. So good of you to do this! I'm going to look at all of these games tomorrow for sure  😀

I’m happy to help. DM me with any questions.

The critical move in the East Indian Defence is staking a claim in the center with d5 after g6. Then you can consider an ambitious c5 or solid c6. C6 has multiple functions such as preventing a knight jump to b5 as most Jobava London players want and supporting the d5 pawn.

In the Reversed Botvinnik System, it’s about development so you need the ability to foresee a couple moves ahead because you are a tempo down. This takes practice. Sometimes you have to concede a knight to f6 or don’t get your dragon bishop and just play a four knights variation of the English Game as black.

Thank you.

Hi Chuck. I've had a realisation. My chess is awful at the moment. I'm blaming my black defences, but I think the explanation is that I've been playing too much, and sloppily, and experimenting with new defences. My points have tanked from 1265 to less than 1100!!. I'm a new-ish player, and the English Botvinnik, the Modren Scandi against e4 and the Tarrasch against everything else got me to 1265. All sensible, solid openings. I'm going to have a rest from chess for a bit, then play less when I play again, and study more. My existing defences will serve me well......

I would recommend a dozen or two rated puzzles, do them daily; you have a membership.

Improving tactical skills and reducing 
blunders are the biggest and efficient drivers for increasing ELO points.

Absolutely. Very sensible. I'm on it. 😀