English Opening · As White · updated October 2026
Play the English Opening like Rudik Makarian
A repertoire in the English Opening built from 47 of Rudik Makarian's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Rudik Makarian chose most often. Where Rudik Makarian 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 Rudik Makarian or Chess.com.
- Rudik Makarian was #23 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,245) and scored 68% against opponents averaging 3,027 in these games.
- You play Rudik Makarian's own move in 12 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
#23
Chess.com
Rating
3,245
Games
47
in this opening
Score
68%
in these games
Opponents
3,027
average rating
Lines to learn
- Next
Line 1 · 8% at top level
1…e5 2.e3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bd3 O-O 5.Nd5
- New
Line 2 · 8% at top level
1…e5 2.e3 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5
- New
Line 3 · 8% at top level
1…Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.d4 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.d5 a5 8.Bg5
- New
Line 4 · 6% at top level
1…e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.d4 O-O 6.Bf4 a6 7.Nbd2
- New
Line 5 · 6% at top level
1…e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.d4 O-O 6.Bf4 dxc4 7.Qc2
- New
Line 6 · 6% at top level
1…Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.d4
- New
Line 7 · 5% at top level
1…Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.d4 Bg4 6.Be2
- New
Line 8 · 4% at top level
1…e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.O-O O-O 6.b3
- New
Line 9 · 4% at top level
1…e5 2.e3 Nc6 3.Nc3
- New
Line 10 · 4% at top level
1…e5 2.e3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bd3 b6 5.Nge2
- New
Line 11 · 4% at top level
1…e5 2.e3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bd3 c6 5.Bc2
- New
Line 12 · 4% at top level
1…e5 2.e3 c6 3.Nc3
- New
Line 13 · 4% at top level
1…g6 2.Nc3 Bg7 3.d4
- New
Line 14 · 3% at top level
1…e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.d4 Nc6 7.O-O
- New
Line 15 · 3% at top level
1…Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.d4 O-O 6.Be2 Na6 7.Be3 e5 8.O-O
- New
Line 16 · 3% at top level
1…e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 dxc4 4.Qa4+ Nd7 5.Qxc4
- New
Line 17 · 2% at top level
1…c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 Bg7 4.Nc3
Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.
Rudik Makarian's main line in the English Opening, move by move
The most common line at top level: 1…e5 2.e3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bd3 O-O 5.Nd5.
- 1…e5 Reply · Rudik Makarian's games A common reply here is 1…e5. At top level, this comes up about 32% of the time.
- 2.e3 Your move · Rudik Makarian's games Rudik Makarian played 2.e3 in 8 games, scoring 100%.
- 2…Nf6 Reply · Rudik Makarian's games A common reply here is 2…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 24% of the time.
- 3.Nc3 Your move · Rudik Makarian's games Rudik Makarian played 3.Nc3 in 6 games, scoring 100%.
- 3…Bb4 Reply · Rudik Makarian's games A common reply here is 3…Bb4. At top level, this comes up about 16% of the time.
- 4.Bd3 Your move · Rudik Makarian's games Rudik Makarian played 4.Bd3 in 4 games, scoring 100%.
- 4…O-O Reply · Rudik Makarian's games A common reply here is 4…O-O. At top level, this comes up about 8% of the time.
- 5.Nd5 Your move · Stockfish The games give no move to follow here, so this is Stockfish's choice.
Questions about this course
- How does Rudik Makarian play the English Opening?
- After 1.c4, Rudik Makarian's most common line is 1…e5 2.e3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bd3 O-O 5.Nd5. At top level it comes up about 8% of the time.
- Is this Rudik Makarian's course?
- No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Rudik Makarian's public Chess.com blitz games.
- What is this English Opening course based on?
- 47 of Rudik Makarian's Chess.com blitz games in the English Opening as White, against opponents with an average rating of 3,027. Rudik Makarian scored 68% in them.
- How many lines does the course have?
- 17 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 Rudik Makarian?
- GM Rudik Makarian was ranked number 23 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,245 when this course was built.