English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense

ECO A15-A17beginner

The Anglo-Indian Defense is the most flexible answer to the English: 1.c4 Nf6, developing a piece and waiting to see what White commits to. The line here continues 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Nge2 c5, a double-fianchetto-flavoured position where White has built a big centre and Black has a King's-Indian-style setup without ever allowing the sharpest White systems. It is a favourite of players who want a small, safe repertoire that covers many move orders at once.

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Main line

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Nge2 c5 7.O-O Nc6

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

1.c4 White opens with c4, the English Opening! This pawn move grabs space on the queenside and gives White flexible options for developing the pieces.
1...Nf6 Black jumps the knight to f6, a great central square. From here it eyes the d5 square and is ready to help control the middle of the board.
2.Nc3 White brings the knight to c3, a strong square right in the middle of the board. It supports the c4 pawn and helps White control the important d5 square.
2...g6 Black pushes the pawn to g6, making room to fianchetto the bishop. This prepares to put the bishop on g7 where it will guard the long diagonal.
3.g3 White advances the pawn to g3, getting ready to fianchetto the bishop. This setup will put the bishop on g2 where it aims powerfully along the long diagonal.
3...Bg7 Black places the bishop on g7, completing the fianchetto. This bishop is very active on g7 and watches over the long dark diagonal from corner to corner.
4.Bg2 White puts the bishop on g2, completing the fianchetto. The bishop on g2 is a strong piece that controls the long diagonal and eyes the center.
4...O-O Black castles kingside, moving the king to g8 behind the pawns for safety. The rook also becomes more active, ready to join the game.
5.e4 White pushes the pawn to e4, claiming more space in the center. Together with c4, White now has two pawns fighting for control of the middle of the board.
5...d6 Black advances the pawn to d6, giving the pieces more room and supporting a future pawn push. This flexible move keeps many options open.
6.Nge2 White develops the knight to e2 instead of f3, keeping the long diagonal of the g2 bishop clear. From e2, the knight can jump to useful squares like d4 or f4.
6...c5 Black pushes the pawn to c5, challenging White's strong center. This pawn strikes at the d4 square and tries to create counterplay in the middle.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	83	42.2%	14.5%	43.4%	1.c4 Nf6
600-800	44	61.4%	0%	38.6%	1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.e4 d6
800-1000	45	51.1%	0%	48.9%	1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Nge2 c5
1000-1200	64	59.4%	3.1%	37.5%	1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Nge2
1200-1400	368	53.3%	4.1%	42.7%	1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Nge2 c5
1400-1600	984	53.4%	4.1%	42.6%	1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Nge2 c5
1600-1800	259	56%	3.1%	40.9%	1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Nge2 c5
1800-2000	716	52.5%	4.6%	42.9%	1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Nge2 c5
2000-2200	1,339	50.8%	5.2%	44%	1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Nge2 c5
2200-2400	1,293	50.2%	6.8%	43%	1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Nge2 c5

Most played continuations (2000-2200 rating)

After 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 O-O 5.e4 d6 6.Nge2 c5:

O-O — played 76.9% of the time (White wins 51.1%, draws 5.3%, Black wins 43.6%)
d3 — played 14.9% of the time (White wins 52.5%, draws 5%, Black wins 42.5%)
h3 — played 4.9% of the time (White wins 53%, draws 1.5%, Black wins 45.5%)

Related openings

Frequently asked questions

Why is 1...Nf6 the most popular answer to 1.c4?

Because it commits to nothing. Black develops a piece, keeps ...e5, ...e6, ...g6 and ...c5 all available, and can steer the game into a King's Indian, a Queen's Indian, a Nimzo-Indian or a genuine English depending on White's next few moves. Against an opponent hoping for a specific structure, that flexibility is worth more than a tempo.

Does the Anglo-Indian just transpose to 1.d4 openings?

Very often, yes — and that is a feature. If White plays d4 at any point the game usually becomes an Indian Defense you already know. The independent value comes from the lines where White keeps the pawn on d3 and plays a genuine English, which is a slower, manoeuvring game with different plans than the d4 openings.

What should Black aim for in the structure shown here?

The same thing as in the King's Indian: break the centre or attack on the wing where your pawns point. After ...c5 the position often locks with d5, and Black plays on the queenside or prepares ...e6 and ...f5. The fianchettoed bishop on g7 is the key piece, so avoid trading it off cheaply.

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