ecocodes
Volume A · Flank openings‹ A33A35 ›
a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8
Reference position · Black to move

A34 English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Normal Variation

A34 holds six named lines, all under the name English Opening. It leaves A30 (English Opening: Symmetrical Variation) with 2.Nc3. Black, to move in that position, has 21 legal moves, the second-lowest count of the 29 English Opening codes. Lines filed under A38 reach one of its named positions by a different move order.

Score sheet
#WhiteBlack
1c4c5
2Nc3

The move that completes A34

The reference line of A35 plays all of these moves and continues beyond them; A34 is the position reached at 2.Nc3.

  1. 2.Nc3 The knight leaves b1 for c3, opening a line for the rook on a1.

Lines filed under A34

All six share the start 1.c4 and then split two ways at Black’s move 1.

NameAfter the shared startPliesAt the end
English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Normal Variation1...c5 2.Nc33
English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Fianchetto Variation1...Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.g35
English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation1...c5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf35
English Opening: Symmetrical Variation1...c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.d4 cxd410Black +1
English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Rubinstein Variation1...Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bg2 Nc710
English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Rubinstein Variation1...c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Nc712

The road to A34

  1. 1.c4A10 English Opening
  2. 1...c5A30 Symmetrical Variation
  3. 2.Nc3A34

The position after 2.Nc3

White has brought out the knight on c3; Black has not yet moved a knight or bishop.

WhiteBlackMaterial (pawn units)3939Minor pieces developed10Moves spent on pawns11Pawns on d4, e4, d5, e500Squares attacked in the other half22not castlednot castled

Codes that branch off from A34

The reference lines of one other code leave A34 from the position after 2.Nc3, each with its own moves.

CodeMovesReference line
A352...Nc6English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Two Knights Variation

Closest boards in other codes

CodeLineDiffers on
A00Van Geet Openingfour squares: c2, c4, c5, c7
A10English Openingfour squares: b1, c3, c5, c7
A11English Opening: Caro-Kann Defensive Systemfour squares: b1, c3, c5, c6
A16English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen’s Knight Variationfour squares: c5, f6, c7, g8
A21English Opening: King’s English Variation, Reversed Sicilianfour squares: c5, e5, c7, e7
A36English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Two Knights, Fianchetto Variationfour squares: g2, g3, c6, b8
B23Sicilian Defense: Closedfour squares: c2, e2, c4, e4

Where lines continue from here

Twelve named lines filed under other codes pass through the position after 2.Nc3. Besides the codes above, they belong to A36, A37, A38.

Volume A

  1. 00
  2. 01
  3. 02
  4. 03
  5. 04
  6. 05
  7. 06
  8. 07
  9. 08
  10. 09
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
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  22. 21
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  25. 24
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  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
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  94. 93
  95. 94
  96. 95
  97. 96
  98. 97
  99. 98
  100. 99

Other move orders

  • English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation is also reached inside A38 English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Full Symmetry Line, whose order is 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.Nc3.

Open this line in the finderAll English Opening codes