A21

English Opening: King's English Variation, Keres Defense

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Statistics from Lichess

145,073 games: White 52.0% / Draw 5.0% / Black 43.1%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	135,980136K
	2,8682,868
	2,0772,077
	1,9261,926
	890890
	821821
	9696
	9191

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 9, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.30 White is slightly better

Best play: 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. d3 a6 8. Qc2 Bf5

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, Keres Defense (ECO A21, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: King's English Variation, Reversed Sicilian, reached after 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 d6 3. g3 c6 (3 moves).

In 145,073 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.0%, Black 43.1% and 5.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Bg2, in 94% of those games.

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Description

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Caissa Codex. “English Opening: King's English Variation, Keres Defense (A21)”. Lichess data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-kings-english-variation-keres-defense

Statistics from Lichess

Engine evaluation

Overview

Other lines from the same position

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