Theoria
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English Opening

King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, with .. d6, Be7

A29positionalsolid

  1. 1.c4e5
  2. 2.Nc3Nf6
  3. 3.g3Nc6
  4. 4.Bg2d6
  5. 5.d3Be7
  6. 6.Nf3O-O
914 games47%48%

A quiet English Four Knights line in which Black answers White's kingside fianchetto with ...d6 and ...Be7, then castles into a compact setup.

Train it in Theoria

About the Be7

Black places the bishop on e7 rather than c5, choosing a compact, modest arrangement behind the e5 and d6 pawns and castling early, as in 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 d6 5. d3 Be7 6. Nf3 O-O. White almost always replies 7. O-O, while 7. a3 and 7. Bg5 are rare. The engine gives White a small edge and favors the central break 7. d4. Practical results are nearly even.

Popular continuations