English Opening: King's English Variation, Closed System
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Statistics from Lichess
59,635 games: White 46.2% / Draw 6.7% / Black 47.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Full Symmetry | 27,75428K | |
| 22,00222K | ||
| 4,0754,075 | ||
| 4,0614,061 | ||
| 448448 | ||
| 435435 | ||
| 312312 | ||
| 182182 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.18 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... Nge7 6. e3 d6 7. Nge2 O-O 8. O-O Be6 9. Rb1 a5 10. e4
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, Closed System (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. d3 (5 moves).
In 59,635 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.2%, Black 47.1% and 6.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…d6, in 47% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, English Opening: King's English Variation, Closed System, Full Symmetry. In all, 2 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the English Opening: King's English Variation, Closed System
5…f5 scores best for Black: 51.7%, with Black winning 48.4% and White 45.0% of 4,061 games. The most played, 5…d6, scores 51.7% in 28K games, and 5…Nf6 scores lowest: 46.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…Nge7.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Variations (1)
All 2 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: King's English Variation, Closed System (A25)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-kings-english-variation-closed-system