A25

English Opening: King's English Variation, Bremen-Hort Variation

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Statistics from Lichess

14,572 games: White 43.1% / Draw 5.9% / Black 51.0%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	8,0448,044
	2,1362,136
	1,6681,668
	1,6371,637
	837837
	8484
	5757
	4040

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 24, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.54 White is slightly better

Best play: 7. d4 exd4 8. Nxd4 Bd7 9. O-O Nf6 10. Nde2 O-O 11. b3 Re8

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

English Opening: King's English Variation, Bremen-Hort Variation (ECO A25, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: King's English Variation, Taimanov Variation, reached after 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. e3 d6 6. Nge2 Be6 (6 moves).

In 14,572 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 43.1%, Black 51.0% and 5.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. b3, in 55% of those games.

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Description

How to play against the English Opening: King's English Variation, Bremen-Hort Variation

7. Nd5 scores best for White: 54.0%, with White winning 50.8% and Black 42.7% of 1,637 games. The most played, 7. b3, scores 45.0% in 8,044 games, and 7. O-O scores lowest: 43.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. d4.

Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “English Opening: King's English Variation, Bremen-Hort Variation (A25)”. Lichess data as of 24 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-kings-english-variation-bremen-hort-variation