English Opening: King's English Variation, Kramnik-Shirov Counterattack
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Statistics from Lichess
1,118,699 games: White 49.9% / Draw 5.1% / Black 45.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 277,274277K | ||
| 246,556247K | ||
| 133,072133K | ||
| 91,83092K | ||
| 80,76281K | ||
| 74,50375K | ||
| 73,75074K | ||
| 58,52259K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 3. Nd5 Be7 4. d4 exd4 5. Qxd4 Nf6 6. Nxe7 Qxe7 7. Bg5 Nc6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for Black: Black scores 47% under 1400, 51% at 2200 and up and 51% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 424K | |
| 1400–1799 | 964K | |
| 1800–2199 | 489K | |
| 2200 and up | 145K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,772 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Anand, V.
- Carlsen, M. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Carlsen, M. – Gukesh, D.
- Nepomniachtchi, I. – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Anand, V.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
English Opening: King's English Variation, Kramnik-Shirov Counterattack (ECO A21, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: King's English Variation, Reversed Sicilian, reached after 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 (2 moves).
In 1,118,699 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.9%, Black 45.0% and 5.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. g3, in 25% of those games.
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, Kramnik-Shirov Counterattack
3. Nd5 scores best for White: 53.4%, with White winning 50.7% and Black 43.8% of 247K games. The most played, 3. g3, scores 52.6% in 277K games, and 3. e3 scores lowest: 51.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. Nd5.
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
Popularity by year
The English Opening: King's English Variation, Kramnik-Shirov Counterattack has stayed between 0.04% and 0.044% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.044% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.043% | 15,439 |
| 2017 | 0.042% | 23,330 |
| 2018 | 0.04% | 31,220 |
| 2019 | 0.043% | 53,828 |
| 2020 | 0.043% | 126,305 |
| 2021 | 0.044% | 170,979 |
| 2022 | 0.043% | 162,707 |
| 2023 | 0.044% | 164,742 |
| 2024 | 0.043% | 153,931 |
| 2025 | 0.044% | 151,453 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.043% | 46,972 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “English Opening: King's English Variation, Kramnik-Shirov Counterattack (A21)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-kings-english-variation-kramnik-shirov-counterattack