English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon
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Statistics from Lichess
777,518 games: White 50.0% / Draw 5.6% / Black 44.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 655,477655K | ||
| 104,934105K | ||
| 5,0995,099 | ||
| 3,9403,940 | ||
| 2,5612,561 | ||
| 1,9531,953 | ||
| 1,2111,211 | ||
| 1,1041,104 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.11 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8. Rb1 a5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 48% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 199K | |
| 1400–1799 | 463K | |
| 1800–2199 | 432K | |
| 2200 and up | 92K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,082 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Ding Liren – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Nakamura, H. – Giri, A.
- Duda, J. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- Kamsky, G. – Svidler, P.
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, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon (ECO A22, Flank Openings) is a variation of the English Opening: Carls-Bremen System, reached after 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 (3 moves).
In 777,518 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.0%, Black 44.4% and 5.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. cxd5, in 84% 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, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon
The most played answer, 4. cxd5, also scores best for White: 53.4%, with White winning 50.6% and Black 43.7% of 655K games. Of the main answers, 4. Bg2 scores lowest: 50.6%. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. cxd5.
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, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon peaked in 2020 at 0.036% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.028% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.028% | 9,928 |
| 2017 | 0.031% | 17,320 |
| 2018 | 0.033% | 25,817 |
| 2019 | 0.035% | 43,715 |
| 2020 | 0.036% | 104,209 |
| 2021 | 0.032% | 123,521 |
| 2022 | 0.028% | 105,773 |
| 2023 | 0.029% | 107,232 |
| 2024 | 0.028% | 100,661 |
| 2025 | 0.028% | 97,082 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.028% | 30,511 |
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, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon (A22)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/english-opening-kings-english-variation-two-knights-variation-reversed-dragon