Today I’d like to share with you my favourite chess opening for Black that works especially well in Blitz games. Whether your opponents play 1.e4 or 1.d4 as White, you basically play 1…b6 as Black. This surprising chess opening will shock most of your opponents and catch them off guard on the very first move of the game.

It is called the English Defense after 1.d4 b6, and the Owen’s Defense after 1.e4 b6. It may not seem like an ambitious chess opening, but it has a lot of tricks. Black’s moves and plans are mostly the same both against 1.e4 and 1.d4, hence this can be a solid opening system for you.

Watch the full video lesson below to learn some dirty tricks and common plans for Black.

Below, you can find the variations/examples shown in the video: