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English Opening · As White · updated October 2026

Play the English Opening like Hans Niemann

A repertoire in the English Opening built from 101 of Hans Niemann's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Hans Niemann chose most often. Where Hans Niemann 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 Hans Niemann or Chess.com.

  • Hans Niemann was #19 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,260) and scored 62% against opponents averaging 3,066 in these games.
  • You play Hans Niemann's own move in 20 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#19

Chess.com

Rating

3,260

Games

101

in this opening

Score

62%

in these games

Opponents

3,066

average rating

More about Hans Niemann

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 10 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 6% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.e4 d6 4.d4 Bg7 5.Be2 O-O 6.Be3

  2. Line 2 · 6% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.e4 e5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Nxe5 O-O 6.Nf3 Re8 7.d3

  3. Line 3 · 5% at top level

    1…c5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3

  4. Line 4 · 5% at top level

    1…e5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

    1…e5 2.g3 c6 3.d4 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 Bxd2+ 5.Qxd2 d6 6.Bg2 Nf6 7.Nc3

  6. Line 6 · 4% at top level

    1…e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Bf4 Bd6 6.Bg3

  7. Line 7 · 4% at top level

    1…e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.d4 exd4 5.Qxd4

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    1…e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 h6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.e4

  9. Line 9 · 3% at top level

    1…g6 2.Nc3 Bg7 3.d4 d6 4.e4 Nf6 5.Be2 Na6 6.h3

  10. Line 10 · 3% at top level

    1…g6 2.Nc3 Bg7 3.d4 d6 4.e4 Nf6 5.Be2 O-O 6.Be3 Nc6 7.d5

  11. Line 11 · 3% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.Nf3

  12. Line 12 · 3% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3

  13. Line 13 · 3% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4

  14. Line 14 · 3% at top level

    1…e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.d4 c6 5.Bf4 Bd6 6.Bxd6 Qxd6 7.e3 Ne7 8.Be2

  15. Line 15 · 3% at top level

    1…e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.d4 c6 5.Bf4 Bf5 6.f3

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

Hans Niemann's main line in the English Opening, move by move

The most common line at top level: 1…Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.e4 d6 4.d4 Bg7 5.Be2 O-O 6.Be3.

  1. 1…Nf6 Reply · Hans Niemann's games A common reply here is 1…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 25% of the time.
  2. 2.Nc3 Your move · Hans Niemann's games Hans Niemann played 2.Nc3 in 16 games, scoring 56%.
  3. 2…g6 Reply · Hans Niemann's games A common reply here is 2…g6. At top level, this comes up about 14% of the time.
  4. 3.e4 Your move · Hans Niemann's games Hans Niemann played 3.e4 in 5 games, scoring 40%.
  5. 3…d6 Reply · Hans Niemann's games A common reply here is 3…d6. At top level, this comes up about 8% of the time.
  6. 4.d4 Your move · Hans Niemann's games Hans Niemann played 4.d4 in 3 games, scoring 33%.
  7. 4…Bg7 Reply · Hans Niemann's games A common reply here is 4…Bg7.
  8. 5.Be2 Your move · Hans Niemann's games Hans Niemann played 5.Be2 in 2 games, scoring 50%.
  9. 5…O-O Reply · Top-50 players In the other top players' games, a common reply here is 5…O-O. At top level, this comes up about 6% of the time.
  10. 6.Be3 Your move · Top-50 players Hans Niemann has too few games here, so this is the other top players' most played move.

Questions about this course

How does Hans Niemann play the English Opening?
After 1.c4, Hans Niemann's most common line is 1…Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.e4 d6 4.d4 Bg7 5.Be2 O-O 6.Be3. At top level it comes up about 6% of the time.
Is this Hans Niemann's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Hans Niemann's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this English Opening course based on?
101 of Hans Niemann's Chess.com blitz games in the English Opening as White, against opponents with an average rating of 3,066. Hans Niemann scored 62% 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 Hans Niemann?
GM Hans Niemann was ranked number 19 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,260 when this course was built.