English Tactics: Chess Opening Combinations and Checkmates (Sawyer Chess Tactics)

This English Tactics chess book gives you 500 positions from actual English Opening 1.c4 games that use combinations and checkmates. This opening has many tactical ideas to help you win. Check it out. The English 1.c4 e5 is a Sicilian Defence 1.e4 c5 with the colors reversed. White has an extra tempo in the English. If Black aims for Indian Defenses 1.c4 Nf6, White may force only the preferred move orders. If Black prepares for a Queens Gambit position with 1.c4 e6 (and 2…d5), White can play an early d4 or delay it. When Black plays the Symmetrical 1.c4 c5, White strikes first. The Reti Opening 1.Nf3 may transpose to the English after a later c2-c4 move. The English Opening 1.c4 teaches you to fight with dynamic pawn structures. When you run toward tactics, you run toward success. Tactics help you to attack and defend accurately. This book shows ten winning positions played as recently as 2021.If you’re good at tactics, you’re good at chess. Opening theory may help you start well. Endgame knowledge may help you finish well. Tactical skill helps you win games and avoid losses. Tactics include pins, forks, removing the defender, attacking two pieces at the same time, and threatening to mate your opponent. The easiest path to tactical success is to recognize patterns that occur frequently in your favorite chess openings. Grandmasters know tactics and can easily slide from one opening to another. Everyone knows a few positions. Here’s 500 in English Opening. Tactical knowledge helps you to improve your winning chances. Take your opponent’s pieces. Pick off the pawns. Mate the king! The author played the English Opening as White hundreds of times. Of course, any active player will face the 1.c4 English as Black. The purpose of this book is to illustrate and teach 1.c4 English Tactics. I assume you can read algebraic chess notation. The White pieces are positioned at the bottom of each diagram. Above each diagram note who can move and win. It’s either White to play a tactical move or Black to play a tactical move. Some moves are simple and easy. Others are subtle and tricky. That’s chess – lots of obvious moves and lots of sneaky moves. Look at each diagram. It’s a key position ready for a tactical win. The final moves are in bold with a brief analysis or comment. Chess engines were used to ensure the accuracy of the analysis. Follow the moves in your mind. The skill to visualize each new position without moving pieces improves your tactical strength. English Tactics is a companion to the author's Queens Gambit Tactics and to his Indian Tactics. White may play 1.c4 to influence the light squares in the center. It fits well with Nc3, g3 and Bg2. Or, an early d4 can transpose to the Queens Gambit or the Indian Defences. White may 1.Nf3 followed by c4 to reach an English. White has many reliable strategies to play for an advantage by controlling the center. Black always has reasonable options to fight back by employing what is called a hypermodern strategy. Black maintains flexibility with the plan to counterattack at the earliest possible moment. Either player may sacrifice a pawn, a piece, or the Exchange to speed up the attack. Any action in the center can turn quickly toward the kingside or the queenside. Games are arranged by ECO (Encyclopedia of Chess Openings) coding (A10 to A39) proceeding generally from less popular to more popular moves. Note: ECO updates their codes from time to time. I used the codes that games had in my database.Ideas in this book come from the English Opening but take note: These same tactical patterns work in other chess openings too. World champions play the English Opening 1.c4 from both sides. Improve your chess. Go for the win! Buy Indian Tactics now. Read more