Is the Chessbook English Opening repertoire free?

Yes. Studying it on Chessbook is free, and so is the PGN download, which needs no account.

Can I download it as a PGN?

Yes: https://chessbook.com/courses/english.pgn?band=1400-1600. Pick your rating first to download the version for your level. It imports into Lichess studies, ChessBase and other tools.

Why does it depend on my rating?

The main White choices stay the same, but opponents at different ratings play different moves. Each rating's version prepares for the replies you will actually face, using millions of games between players at that level.

How much does it cover?

Every opponent reply that comes up in at least 1 game in 200 at your rating, picking lines that score well and are easy to remember.

English Opening repertoire for White

By Chessbook. Free, with a PGN download.

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Tuned for Lichess 1400-1600: 138 moves.

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[Event "Chessbook English Opening repertoire (1400-1600)"]
[Site "https://chessbook.com/courses/english"]
[Annotator "Chessbook"]
[Result "*"]

1. c4 e5 ( 1... Nf6 2. g3 e5 ( 2... g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 ( 3... d6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 O-O
6. Nge2 e5 7. O-O ) 4. Nc3 O-O ( 4... d6 ) ( 4... c6 5. e4 O-O 6. Nge2 ) 5. e4
d6 ( 5... c6 ) ) ( 2... e6 3. Bg2 d5 ( 3... c5 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. e4 ) ( 3... c6
4. Nc3 ) ( 3... Nc6 4. Nc3 ) 4. Nf3 ) ( 2... d6 3. Bg2 e5 ( 3... g6 ) 4. Nc3 Nc6
( 4... c6 5. e4 ) ( 4... Be7 5. e4 ) 5. e3 ) ( 2... c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 ( 3... e6 )
4. Nc3 e6 ( 4... e5 5. e3 ) ( 4... d6 5. e3 ) ) ( 2... d5 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. Bg2 e5
5. Qb3 c6 ( 5... Be6 6. Qxb7 ) 6. Nc3 Nxc3 7. bxc3 ) ( 2... Nc6 3. Bg2 e5 (
3... e6 ) 4. Nc3 Bc5 ( 4... Bb4 5. Nd5 Nxd5 6. cxd5 Ne7 7. Nf3 ) ( 4... d6 )
5. e3 d6 ( 5... O-O 6. Nge2 d6 7. O-O ) 6. Nge2 O-O ( 6... Bg4 7. h3 ) ) (
2... c6 3. Bg2 e5 ( 3... e6 ) 4. Nc3 Bc5 ( 4... d5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 ) (
4... Bb4 5. Nf3 ) ( 4... d6 ) 5. e3 O-O ( 5... d6 6. Nge2 ) 6. Nge2 d5 7. cxd5 )
3. Bg2 Bc5 ( 3... Nc6 ) ( 3... c6 ) ( 3... d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 ) ( 3... d6 ) 4. Nc3
Nc6 ( 4... O-O 5. e3 Nc6 ( 5... c6 ) ( 5... d6 6. Nge2 Nc6 ) ) ( 4... c6 ) (
4... d6 5. e3 Nc6 ( 5... O-O ) ( 5... c6 ) ) ( 4... Ng4 5. e3 ) ) ( 1... d5
2. cxd5 Qxd5 ( 2... Nf6 3. e4 Nxe4 4. Qa4+ ) 3. Nc3 Qd8 ( 3... Qa5 4. g3 Nf6 (
4... c6 5. Bg2 ) 5. Bg2 ) 4. Nf3 Nf6 ( 4... e6 5. d4 Nf6 6. e4 ) ( 4... Nc6
5. d4 Nf6 6. d5 ) 5. d4 e6 ( 5... Nc6 ) ) ( 1... c5 2. g3 Nc6 ( 2... e6 3. Bg2
Nc6 ( 3... Nf6 ) 4. Nc3 Nf6 ) ( 2... Nf6 ) ( 2... d6 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. Nc3 Nf6 ) (
2... g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 ( 3... Nc6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 ) 4. Nc3 Nc6 ) ( 2... e5 3. Bg2
Nc6 4. Nc3 Nf6 ) 3. Bg2 e6 ( 3... Nf6 ) ( 3... d6 ) ( 3... g6 ) ( 3... e5 ) ) (
1... e6 2. g3 d5 ( 2... Nf6 ) ( 2... c5 ) ( 2... c6 3. Bg2 Nf6 ) ( 2... d6
3. Bg2 ) 3. cxd5 exd5 ( 3... Qxd5 4. Nf3 ) 4. Bg2 Nf6 ( 4... c6 5. Nf3 Nf6
6. O-O ) 5. Nf3 c6 ) ( 1... g6 2. g3 Bg7 ( 2... Nf6 ) ( 2... c5 ) 3. Bg2 Nf6 (
3... c5 ) ( 3... c6 4. Nc3 Nf6 ) ( 3... d6 4. Nc3 Nf6 ) ( 3... e6 4. Nc3 Ne7
5. e4 ) ) ( 1... c6 2. e4 d5 ( 2... e6 3. d4 ) 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. exd5 Qxd5 (
4... Nf6 5. Nf3 ) 5. d4 Nc6 ( 5... Nf6 6. Nf3 ) 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. Nc3 ) ( 1... d6
2. g3 e5 ( 2... Nf6 ) ( 2... c5 ) ( 2... e6 ) 3. Bg2 Nf6 ( 3... Nc6 4. Nc3 Nf6 (
4... Bd7 5. e3 ) ) ( 3... c6 4. Nc3 Nf6 ) ) ( 1... b6 2. g3 Bb7 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bg2
) ( 1... f5 2. g3 e5 ( 2... Nf6 3. Bg2 e5 4. Nc3 ) 3. Bg2 Nf6 ) ( 1... Nc6 2. g3
e5 ( 2... Nf6 ) 3. Bg2 Nf6 ( 3... Bc5 4. Nc3 Nf6 ( 4... d6 5. e3 Nf6 ) ) (
3... d6 ) ) 2. g3 Nf6 ( 2... Bc5 3. Bg2 Nf6 ( 3... Nc6 ) ( 3... d6 4. Nc3 Nf6 (
4... Nc6 ) ( 4... c6 5. e3 Nf6 ) ) ( 3... Qf6 4. e3 ) ( 3... c6 4. Nc3 Nf6 (
4... d6 ) ) ) ( 2... Nc6 ) ( 2... d6 ) ( 2... d5 3. cxd5 Qxd5 4. Nf3 e4 5. Nc3
Qc6 6. e3 exf3 7. Bb5 ) ( 2... c6 3. Bg2 Nf6 ( 3... d6 ) ( 3... Bc5 ) ( 3... d5
4. cxd5 cxd5 5. Qb3 Nf6 6. Nc3 ) ) ( 2... f5 ) ( 2... c5 ) ( 2... Qf6 3. Bg2 Bc5
) *

About this repertoire

The English Opening with 1.c4: a flexible first move for White.

Chessbook's English Opening repertoire for White, built from millions of games between players at your rating. It covers the moves your opponents actually play, to a 1-in-200 coverage target, and picks lines that score well and are easy to remember.

It's free: study it on Chessbook with spaced repetition, or download the PGN.

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