When 1...Nf6 Becomes a Weapon: A Black Repertoire Against the English Opening
There is a long-standing paradox in repertoire building: the player who opens with 1.c4 is often trying to sidestep theory, yet the resulting positions can be just as complex and principled as what they hoped to avoid. GMs Pier Luigi Basso and Szymon Gumularz have built their new course around exactly this insight — rather than retreating into solid passivity, they arm Black with active, space-grabbing responses at every turn, turning the English into a battlefield of Black's choosing.
The leitmotif is deliberate asymmetry. Where White seeks flexibility with 1.c4, Black replies with 1...Nf6 — preserving the same flexibility, but with concrete plans already in place. Against 2.Nc3, a critical try, the course recommends a central pawn sacrifice leading to lasting structural pressure on White's doubled c-pawns. Against the Fianchetto (2.g3), Black grabs space with ...d4 and plays for more than equality from the outset. Against the Réti (with 2.Nf3 3.b3), Basso and Gumularz offer a fresh recommendation involving an early ...h5 — a modern approach not yet well-mapped in existing repertoire books.
What the Course Covers
The repertoire is structured across 10 chapters built around three main responses to 1.c4 Nf6. Against 2.Nc3, Chapters 1 and 2 examine the critical line after 2…e6 3.e4 d5 4.e5 d4 5.exf6 dxc3 6.bxc3 Qxf6, where Black has lasting pressure on the doubled c-pawns. Chapter 3 covers the 4.cxd5 exd5 5.e5 Ne4 sideline, and Chapter 4 handles the 3.Nf3 d5 4.e3 move order with its QGA transposition tricks. Against the Fianchetto, Chapters 5–7 develop the ambitious ...d4 space-grab. Against the Réti, Chapters 8–10 cover the full 3.b3 complex, including the fresh ...h5 recommendation in Chapter 8 and the 7.Bb5 main line in Chapter 10.
Variation Map — 1.c4 Nf6 (Black Repertoire)
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 d5 4.e5 d4 5.exf6 dxc3 6.bxc3 Qxf6
- 7.d4 — a main continuation → Chapter 1
- 7.Nf3 Nc6 8.Bd3 e5 — the authors’ recommendation, active piece play → Chapter 2
4.cxd5 exd5 5.e5 Ne4 — Black gets active piece play → Chapter 3
3.Nf3 d5 4.e3 dxc4 —QGA-type transpositions with Nc3 already placed → Chapter 4
1.c4 Nf6 2.g3 e6 3.Bg2 d5 4.Nf3 d4 — most ambitious response, grabbing space
- 6.d3 Bc5 — the main line → Chapter 5
- 6.e3 e5 7.exd4 e4 — Black seizes the initiative → Chapter 6
- 4.b3 and other sidelines on move 4 → Chapter 7
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.b3 d5 4.Bb2 c5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.g3 Nc6 7.Bg2 h5 — fresh recommendation → Chapter 8
4.e3 c5 5.Bb2 Nc6 6.cxd5 exd5 — modern Reti structures → Chapter 9
7.Bb5 — the main line, all of White's alternatives on moves 6 and 7 covered → Chapter 10
Course Features
- 10 chapters covering all major 1.c4 setups
- 20 test positions for active review
- Memory Booster for long-term recall
- To Go Version of every chapter
- Video instruction throughout
- Multilingual PGN availability (English, German, French, Spanish)
The Authors
GM Pier Luigi Basso and GM Szymon Gumularz previously collaborated on the two-part Nimzo-Indian repertoire for Black — Nimzo-Indian Defense for Black – Part 1 and Nimzo-Indian Defense for Black – Part 2 — making this 1.c4 course a natural extension of that work. Players who have studied those courses will find familiar strategic themes here: piece activity, structural pressure, and an avoidance of pure equality. Together, the three courses form a Black repertoire against the most common non-1.e4 systems.
If you are looking for a principled, combative answer to the English Opening built on the same foundations as a Nimzo-Indian player's natural instincts, this course delivers exactly that. Start building your Black repertoire against 1.c4 today.
INTRODUCTION BY SZYMON GUMULARZ
SAMPLE CHAPTER
SAMPLE VIDEO