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1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 · ECO A15
English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, King's Knight Variation is a chess opening that arises after 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3. It is classified A15 in the ECO system, and the position after these moves has black to move. The English Opening starts with 1.c4, controlling d5 from the flank rather than occupying the centre with a pawn. It is one of the four most common first moves and is prized for its flexibility, transposing readily into queen's pawn openings or keeping an independent character.
Strategic and slow-building. Common structures include the Reversed Sicilian, where White plays the Sicilian with an extra tempo, and the Symmetrical English after 1...c5. Fianchettos and long manoeuvring are typical.
Positional players who like flexible systems and are comfortable in structures where the plan is not decided in the first ten moves.
This line is a variation within the English Opening family. The strategic ideas above describe the family as a whole; this particular line reaches them by the move order 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3.
Each of these is a named opening reached by playing on from 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3. Open any of them to load the position on the board.