English: Four Knights [antikvár]

Preface The English, although having a reasonable pedigree dating back to the days of Howard Staunton, has only really received adequate recognition in the last 50 years or so. All the great players have included 1 c4 in their repertoire at one stage or another, so that today it compares quite well with 1 e4 and 1 d4 in popularity. Famous advocates of the English include Nimzowitsch, Capablanca, Botvinnik, Korchnoi, Polugayevsky, Tal, Smyslov, Petrosian, Portisch and Larsen, to name but a few. The Four Knights variation of the English forms the subject matter for this book. It is a variation which has been one of the most popular within the realms of the English since its inception. Early attempts to play the Four Knights started with Nimzowitsch's 4 e4 and Capablanca's 4 d3, whilst 4 a3 also made sporadic appearances. Then interest moved on to 4 d4, which was much favoured by Botvinnik. In the meantime 4 g3 was growing in stature whilst Black players continually tried to play a Reverse Dragon with 4 d5, but more recently 4 A.b4 has started to turn attention towards 4 e3 which today is perhaps the most fashionable line for White. So what does the future hold for the Four Knights variation? Well, Murey's 4 ®a4 will probably go under the microscope before long, or, failing that, a return to one of White's earlier preferences seems hkely. In short, the Four Knights variation with a myriad of intriguing possibihties is here to stay!