According to Lichess (September 2026, N = 144,548 games rated 900 to 1700), you score 48.5% with the English Defense, 1. . You don't take the center with pawns early on: your bishop goes to b7 and pressures e4 from a distance until your f-pawn is ready to attack it. Strong players follow 2. 3. 4. 5. , and that is the line explained here, along with the mistakes you'll see most at your level.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
6 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
At your level, your opponent's replies to are spread out: 2. and 2. each come up in 22 games out of 100, 2. in 19 and 2. in 14. Players rated over 2200 online hardly ever choose 2., 6 in 100, and prefer 2. or 2.. Against 2., nearly 9 in 10 answer , at your level and among strong players. After 3., strong players continue in 69 games out of 100; at your level it's 45, and 1 in 4 prefer . The biggest gap comes later: after 5., strong players push in 92 games out of 100, the public in 6. You score between 48 and 49 out of 100 in every rating band.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.4% | 51.4% | 32.0% | 31.2% | |
| 22.0% | 51.7% | 5.7% | no data | |
| 18.9% | 51.6% | 30.4% | 68.8% | |
| 14.1% | 52.5% | 20.6% | no data | |
| 8.8% | 50.2% | 1.8% | no data | |
| 6.2% | 50.5% | 5.3% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86.7% | 51.0% | 89.5% | 100.0% | |
| 3.4% | 53.9% | 8.3% | no data | |
| 2.6% | 50.8% | no data | no data | |
| 2.2% | 51.8% | 0.4% | no data | |
| 2.0% | 59.7% | no data | no data | |
| 0.7% | 48.9% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.8% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63.4% | 51.2% | 79.4% | 100.0% | |
| 14.4% | 51.8% | 14.4% | no data | |
| 9.1% | 49.6% | 3.2% | no data | |
| 7.6% | 49.7% | 0.7% | no data | |
| 1.7% | 53.4% | no data | no data | |
| 1.3% | 51.4% | 1.3% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.0% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45.3% | 50.7% | 68.6% | 100.0% | |
| 24.8% | 50.8% | 6.9% | no data | |
| 13.1% | 50.6% | 18.6% | no data | |
| 7.2% | 52.8% | 2.4% | no data | |
| 1.9% | 50.0% | 1.3% | no data | |
| 1.6% | 60.2% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 2.2% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51.5% | 50.8% | 45.9% | no data | |
| 26.3% | 52.6% | 18.2% | no data | |
| 9.4% | 50.7% | 2.3% | no data | |
| 6.1% | 51.1% | no data | no data | |
| 3.0% | 48.8% | 25.2% | no data | |
| 2.0% | 43.0% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 3.9% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 2.3% | no data |
In this defense you don't put pawns in the center early. Your pieces pressure the e4 square from a distance, and the f-pawn arrives last to attack it. The strong-player line, 2. 3. 4. 5. , ends with the e4 pawn attacked twice and one of its two defenders pinned.
puts the bishop on the long diagonal, where it hits e4 and, behind it, g2. That is why your opponent plays 3., covering e4 before occupying it. opens the diagonal from f8 to b4. When 4. arrives, the pawn has a single defender, the knight on c3, and pins it to the king on e1, because d2 is already empty. That knight can't move without exposing your opponent's king, so it doesn't count as a defender. 5. adds another one, and then hits e4 a second time, with the b7 bishop behind it. Your e6 pawn protects the one on f5. After , the public plays 4. in 52 games out of 100, so this pin is what you'll see most. Against 4., 26 in 100, the pawn is still on e2 and your b7 bishop keeps watching e4.
The order matters. Without , the f8 bishop can't reach b4. Without the pin, would run into two free defenders. If your opponent takes with 6., the long diagonal opens and your b7 bishop hits g2, which has lost its defender now that the f1 bishop has gone to d3, and the rook on h1 stands right behind it. That is why , chosen by 1 in 4 at your level, changes the game: the f8 bishop goes to g7, aims at d4 and pins nothing.
Strong opponents know this plan: after , 25 in 100 play 4., taking b4 away from your bishop before pushing the e-pawn. At your level almost nobody does, 3 in 100, so you will usually get to play . What you will meet often is 2., which steps away from this line. The idea stays the same: your b7 bishop and your knight watch e4 together. After 3., play : you cover e4 twice against one defender, so 4. would drop a pawn. If your opponent picks 3. instead, don't trade your bishop for that knight; keeps the pressure and gets the f8 bishop ready to come out. Against 2., your bishop still goes to b7, and after 3. the f8 bishop heads for b4 with the same pin.
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 2,992 | 32.0% | |
| 1,238 | 89.6% | |
| 1,084 | 79.6% | |
| 1,028 | 68.8% | |
| 1,179 | 45.9% | |
| 687 | 83.8% | |
| 548 | 57.3% | |
| 251 | 92.4% |
After 2. 3., sends your bishop to g7, so nothing pins the knight guarding e4. Then 4. 5.: the pawn takes f6 from your knight, which ends up on h6 after 6. , and your bishop bites on e5. 22 in 100 play it. It's rarely punished: you score 46, against 49 with .
22 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.2%; scores 48.8%.
After 2. 3., gives up the pin on b4, so 4. comes in with the c3 knight free to defend it. After 5. 6., the bishop eyes your h5 pawn and stops the push to e5. 25 in 100 play it. It almost never gets punished: you score 49, the same as with .
25 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 49.2%; scores 49.3%.
After 2. 3., trades away the bishop that was watching e4 for a knight. After 4. the f3 pawn defends e4, and 5. 6. leaves your opponent with the center and the bishop pair. 11 in 100 play it. It seldom gets punished: you score 46 out of 100, against 49 with .
11 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 46.2%; scores 48.5%.
After 2. 3., concedes the center; after , 4. would cost a pawn. After 4. 5., queen and knight both defend e4, and after 6. your b7 bishop stares at a well-protected pawn. 20 in 100 play it. Your opponents don't punish it: you score 48.4 out of 100, against 47.9 with .
20 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 48.4%; scores 47.9%.
After 2. 3., again keeps the f8 bishop away from b4. Your opponent prepares e4 at leisure: 4. 5., and after 6. the pawn reaches e4 with no pin on the knight. 23 in 100 play it. It doesn't get punished at your level: you score 49.5 out of 100, against 49 with .
23 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 49.5%; scores 49.0%.
After 2. 3., gives up the bishop that was pressuring e4 for a knight. After 4. the f3 pawn covers e4 and your opponent keeps both bishops. After 5. , 6. breaks the pin before . 12 in 100 play it, and this one does cost you: you score 45, against 49 with .
12 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.2 pawns of advantage. It scores 44.9%; scores 49.0%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 54,303 | ||
| Not castled | 20,820 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 17,383 |
| 12,873 | ||
| Not castled | 11,669 | |
| 11,422 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | ||
| 9 | ||
| Not castled | 8 | |
| Not castled | 4 | |
| 3 | ||
| Not castled | 3 |
1. 2. 3. 4. · A40
121 amateur games · White's score: 55.4%
1. 2. 3. · A40
52 amateur games · White's score: 61.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · A40
14 amateur games · White's score: 42.9%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · A40
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · A40