English Opening: King's English Variation, Closed System, Full Symmetry
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Statistics from Lichess
52,721 games: White 46.6% / Draw 6.7% / Black 46.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 20,88421K | ||
| English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System | 15,53516K | |
| 5,9325,932 | ||
| 3,6923,692 | ||
| 2,1812,181 | ||
| 1,2241,224 | ||
| 1,0421,042 | ||
| 756756 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.22 The position is about equal
Best play: 6. e4 Nge7 7. Nge2 O-O 8. O-O a5 9. Nb5 Bg4 10. Rb1 Qd7
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, Full Symmetry (ECO A26, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: King's English Variation, Closed System, reached after 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3 d6 (5 moves).
In 52,721 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.6%, Black 46.7% and 6.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Nf3, in 40% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, English Opening: King's English Variation, Botvinnik System.
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How to play against the English Opening: King's English Variation, Closed System, Full Symmetry
6. Rb1 scores best for White: 54.5%, with White winning 51.4% and Black 42.3% of 3,692 games. The most played answer, 6. Nf3, scores lowest: 49.3% in 21K games. Stockfish's first choice is 6. e4.
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: King's English Variation, Closed System, Full Symmetry (A26)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-kings-english-variation-closed-system-full-symmetry