English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Anti-Anti-Grünfeld

English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense

Definition

The English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense arises after the moves 1. c4 Nf6. By replying 1…Nf6 to White’s flank pawn advance, Black immediately adopts the “Indian” set-up normally reached after 1. d4. The name therefore reflects the hybrid nature of the position: an English opening for White, answered by an Indian defense for Black.

Typical Move-Orders

• 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 — heading for a King’s Indian or Grünfeld.
• 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 — Nimzo-Indian or Queen’s Indian ideas.
• 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 c6 — a Slav-flavoured set-up.
• 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 b6 — a Queen’s Indian played one tempo earlier.

Strategic Themes

Because neither side has committed a central pawn yet, the opening is a sea of transpositional possibilities. Key ideas include:

• Central Flexibility: Both players can still choose between …d5, …c5 or …e5 for Black, and d4 or e4 for White.
• Reversed Openings: After 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 the game can resemble a reversed Sicilian Dragon, with colors switched.
• Fianchetto Battles: Double kingside fianchetto structures (g3/Bg2 vs …g6/Bg7) often lead to slow manoeuvring around the d-file breaks d4 and …d5.
• Nimzo-Style Pressure: If White plays Nf3 and d4 early, Black has the option of an early …Bb4 pin, recreating Nimzo-Indian pressure with one tempo to spare.

Historical Notes

The line became fashionable in the 1970s when Anatoly Karpov and Ljubomir Ljubojević used it to avoid the sharpest main-line theory of the King’s Indian. Garry Kasparov later employed it as Black in his 1983 USSR Championship win over Beliavsky, using an early …c6 and …d5 to seize the center.

Illustrative Mini-Game

A calm, strategic example showing the essence of the defense:

Black mirrors a King’s Indian but keeps …e5 or …c5 in reserve, while White uses typical English queenside space with Rb1 and b4.

Interesting Facts

• The ECO codes A15–A19 and A45–A49 largely belong to Anglo-Indian territory.
• In several reversed Sicilian lines Black can castle queenside first, a luxury the “real” Sicilian defender rarely enjoys.
• Howard Staunton (1810-1874) played the structure 1. c4 Nf6 long before the term “Anglo-Indian” was coined.

Anti-Anti-Grünfeld

Definition

The tongue-in-cheek term Anti-Anti-Grünfeld describes Black’s antidotes to White’s Anti-Grünfeld systems. In other words, when White tries to sidestep the Grünfeld Defense (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6) with moves such as 3. Nf3, 3. f3, or 3. g3, Black “re-Grünfelds” the position by striking at the center with an early …d5. The most common route is: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 d5! or, via an English move-order, 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. e4 d5!

Purpose and Usage

• Restoring Grünfeld Dynamics: By insisting on …d5, Black re-establishes the Grünfeld’s central tension and avoids being pushed into a quieter King’s Indian.
• Move-Order Trickery: Many White players hoping to dodge heavy Grünfeld theory discover that Black’s “anti-anti” approach delivers them right back into it, often with less preparation.
• Psychological Weapon: The wry name itself reminds tournament players that modern opening battles are as much move-order cat-and-mouse as concrete theory.

Key Positions

After 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 we reach a Grünfeld with the knight already on f3 instead of usual Nc3.

Strategic Features

• Isolated pawn vs. strong center: As in the standard Grünfeld, Black concedes the center temporarily and relies on piece pressure.
• Accelerated Development: Because Black delays …Bg7 or castles until after …d5, he sometimes gains an extra tempo on the classical Grünfeld lines.
• Reduced Theory for White: Many mainstream Grünfeld novelties rely on the knight being on c3. With the “anti-anti” move-order, White must improvise.

Historical & Practical Significance

The approach became popular after grandmasters such as Peter Svidler and Vugar Gashimov began employing it in the early 2000s. Svidler’s victory over Bacrot in the 2005 World Cup is a showcase game: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. Bf4 dxc4! broke the center wide open and neutralized White’s preparation.

Illustrative Fragment

The game reaches the typical Grünfeld pawn structure despite White’s early Nf3. Note how Black’s pieces swarm the d4-pawn.

Fun Facts

• Some databases catalogue the line under ECO code D70 (Grünfeld, 3. Nf3 variation) but players often call it “Anti-Anti”.
• Magnus Carlsen used the idea in rapid play against Vachier-Lagrave (Paris GCT, 2017) and later joked that he “re-converted” the anti-Grünfeld into his beloved Grünfeld.
• The mirror term Anti-Anti-Anti-Grünfeld has not yet been seriously coined—but give theory a few more decades!