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English Opening · As White · updated October 2026

Play the English Opening like Haowen Xue

A repertoire in the English Opening built from 180 of Haowen Xue's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Haowen Xue chose most often. Where Haowen Xue 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 Haowen Xue or Chess.com.

  • Haowen Xue was #49 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,195) and scored 74% against opponents averaging 2,975 in these games.
  • You play Haowen Xue's own move in 32 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#49

Chess.com

Rating

3,195

Games

180

in this opening

Score

74%

in these games

Opponents

2,975

average rating

More about Haowen Xue

Use arrow keys to navigate the board. Press Enter to select a piece, then use arrow keys and Enter to move. Press Escape to cancel a move.
Line 1 after 8 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 7% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.d4 O-O 5.Bg5

  2. Line 2 · 5% at top level

    1…e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.d4

  3. Line 3 · 5% at top level

    1…e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.Qa4+

  4. Line 4 · 5% at top level

    1…e6 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2

  5. Line 5 · 4% at top level

    1…e5 2.Nc3 Bb4 3.Nd5 a5 4.a3 Be7 5.b3

  6. Line 6 · 4% at top level

    1…c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nc3 d6 6.O-O

  7. Line 7 · 4% at top level

    1…g6 2.Nf3 Bg7 3.d4 d6 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.e4

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.d4

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 d4 5.e3

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Qa4+ Nbd7 6.Qxc4 a6 7.Qc2 c5 8.Nc3 Qc7 9.O-O

  11. Line 11 · 3% at top level

    1…c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2

  12. Line 12 · 3% at top level

    1…c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bg2

  13. Line 13 · 3% at top level

    1…e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3

  14. Line 14 · 3% at top level

    1…e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.e3 Bb4 4.Nge2

Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.

Haowen Xue's main line in the English Opening, move by move

The most common line at top level: 1…Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.d4 O-O 5.Bg5.

  1. 1…Nf6 Reply · Haowen Xue's games A common reply here is 1…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 28% of the time.
  2. 2.Nf3 Your move · Haowen Xue's games Haowen Xue played 2.Nf3 in 37 games, scoring 76%.
  3. 2…g6 Reply · Haowen Xue's games A common reply here is 2…g6. At top level, this comes up about 12% of the time.
  4. 3.Nc3 Your move · Haowen Xue's games Haowen Xue played 3.Nc3 in 11 games, scoring 86%.
  5. 3…Bg7 Reply · Haowen Xue's games A common reply here is 3…Bg7. At top level, this comes up about 11% of the time.
  6. 4.d4 Your move · Haowen Xue's games Haowen Xue played 4.d4 in 6 games, scoring 83%.
  7. 4…O-O Reply · Haowen Xue's games A common reply here is 4…O-O. At top level, this comes up about 7% of the time.
  8. 5.Bg5 Your move · Haowen Xue's games Haowen Xue played 5.Bg5 in 2 games, scoring 100%.

Questions about this course

How does Haowen Xue play the English Opening?
After 1.c4, Haowen Xue's most common line is 1…Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.d4 O-O 5.Bg5. At top level it comes up about 7% of the time.
Is this Haowen Xue's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Haowen Xue's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this English Opening course based on?
180 of Haowen Xue's Chess.com blitz games in the English Opening as White, against opponents with an average rating of 2,975. Haowen Xue scored 74% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
14 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 Haowen Xue?
GM Haowen Xue was ranked number 49 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,195 when this course was built.