English Opening · As White · updated October 2026
Play the English Opening like Aleksei Sarana
A repertoire in the English Opening built from 30 of Aleksei Sarana's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Aleksei Sarana chose most often. Where Aleksei Sarana has fewer than 3 games, the course takes the other top-50 players' most played move, then Stockfish's. Learn a line on the board, then each position comes back in a short daily review until it sticks.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by Aleksei Sarana or Chess.com.
- Aleksei Sarana was #10 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,299) and scored 70% against opponents averaging 3,066 in these games.
- You play Aleksei Sarana's own move in 5 of 40 positions.
- The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.
Train lines
Learn a new line move by move. Lines due for review go to your daily review first.
Free · first 5 lines need no account
Blitz rank
#10
Chess.com
Rating
3,299
Games
30
in this opening
Score
70%
in these games
Opponents
3,066
average rating
Lines to learn
- Next
Line 1 · 8% at top level
1…c6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3
- New
Line 2 · 7% at top level
1…c5 2.Nf3
- New
Line 3 · 6% at top level
1…e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Be7 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4
- New
Line 4 · 5% at top level
1…c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Be4 7.f3 Bg6 8.Qb3
- New
Line 5 · 5% at top level
1…c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 a6 5.h3
- New
Line 6 · 5% at top level
1…c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 g6 5.Be2
- New
Line 7 · 5% at top level
1…e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.e3
- New
Line 8 · 4% at top level
1…Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.e4 d6 4.d4 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2
- New
Line 9 · 4% at top level
1…e5 2.g3 d6 3.Bg2 Be7 4.Nc3
- New
Line 10 · 4% at top level
1…e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3
- New
Line 11 · 4% at top level
1…e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.Nf3 e4 5.Nd4
- New
Line 12 · 3% at top level
1…Nc6 2.Nc3 e5 3.g3 f5 4.Bg2 Nf6 5.b3
- New
Line 13 · 3% at top level
1…b6 2.Nc3
- New
Line 14 · 3% at top level
1…d5 2.cxd5 Nf6 3.e4
- New
Line 15 · 3% at top level
1…f5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3
Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.
Aleksei Sarana's main line in the English Opening, move by move
The most common line at top level: 1…c6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3.
- 1…c6 Reply · Aleksei Sarana's games A common reply here is 1…c6. At top level, this comes up about 23% of the time.
- 2.d4 Your move · Aleksei Sarana's games Aleksei Sarana played 2.d4 in 3 games, scoring 67%.
- 2…Nf6 Reply · Aleksei Sarana's games A common reply here is 2…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 8% of the time.
- 3.Nc3 Your move · Stockfish The games give no move to follow here, so this is Stockfish's choice.
Questions about this course
- How does Aleksei Sarana play the English Opening?
- After 1.c4, Aleksei Sarana's most common line is 1…c6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3. At top level it comes up about 8% of the time.
- Is this Aleksei Sarana's course?
- No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Aleksei Sarana's public Chess.com blitz games.
- What is this English Opening course based on?
- 30 of Aleksei Sarana's Chess.com blitz games in the English Opening as White, against opponents with an average rating of 3,066. Aleksei Sarana scored 70% in them.
- How many lines does the course have?
- 15 lines covering 40 positions, ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. The first 5 lines need no account; saving your progress with an email unlocks the rest, free.
- Who is Aleksei Sarana?
- GM Aleksei Sarana was ranked number 10 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,299 when this course was built.