A29 English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line
A29 holds 14 named lines, all under the name English Opening. It leaves A28 (English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation) with 4.g3. With 14 named lines it is the fourth-largest code of the 29 English Opening codes. That final move, by the g-pawn, covers f4 and h4 and opens a line for the bishop on f1.
| # | White | Black |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | c4 | e5 |
| 2 | Nc3 | Nf6 |
| 3 | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 4 | g3 |
Lines filed under A29
All 14 share the start 1.c4 e5 and then split two ways at White’s move 2.
| Name | After the shared start | Plies | At the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line | 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 | 7 | |
| English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line | 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bb4 | 8 | |
| English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line | 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 | 10 | |
| English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line | 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.d3 | 11 | |
| English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, with .. d6 | 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bc5 5.d3 d6 6.Bg2 | 11 | |
| English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, with .. d6, Be7 | 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 d6 5.d3 Be7 6.Nf3 O-O | 12 | Black castled |
| English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, with .. d6, a6 | 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bc5 5.d3 d6 6.Bg2 a6 | 12 | |
| English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, with .. d6, h6 | 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bc5 5.d3 d6 6.Bg2 h6 | 12 | |
| English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, with Bc5 | 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Bc5 | 12 | |
| English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, with Nb6 | 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Nb6 | 12 | |
| English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, with .. d6 | 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bc5 5.d3 d6 6.Bg2 O-O 7.O-O | 13 | both castled |
| English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line | 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bb4 5.Bg2 Bxc3 6.dxc3 d6 7.O-O O-O | 14 | both castled |
| English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line | 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.d3 Be7 7.O-O O-O | 14 | both castled |
| English Opening: King’s English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, Delayed .. Nc6 | 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 Bb4 4.Bg2 O-O 5.Nf3 Re8 6.O-O e4 7.Nd4 Nc6 | 14 | both castled |
The road to A29
- 1.c4 … 2.Nc3three earlier stops: A10, A20, A21
- 2...Nf6A22 Two Knights Variation
- 3...Nc6A28 Four Knights Variation
- 4.g3A29
The position after 4.g3
White has brought out the knight on c3 and knight on f3; Black the knight on c6 and knight on f6. Black is to move and has 30 legal moves.
Closest boards in other codes
| Code | Line | Differs on |
|---|---|---|
| A27 | English Opening: King’s English Variation, Three Knights System | four squares: g2, g3, f6, g8 |
| A23 | English Opening: King’s English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Keres Variation | five squares: g1, f3, c6, c7, b8 |
| A22 | English Opening: King’s English Variation, Two Knights Variation | six squares: g1, g2, f3, g3, c6, b8 |
| A24 | English Opening: King’s English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line | six squares: g1, f3, c6, g6, g7, b8 |
| A25 | English Opening: King’s English Variation, Reversed Closed Sicilian | six squares: g1, g2, f3, g3, f6, g8 |
| C47 | Four Knights Game | six squares: c2, e2, g2, g3, c4, e4 |
| A16 | English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen’s Knight Variation | eight squares: g1, g2, f3, g3, e5, c6, e7, b8 |