The English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Romanishin Variation

The Romanishin Variation is all about queenside expansion. After 3...a6, your immediate idea is to push ...b5, claiming space on the queenside and potentially cramping White's light-squared bishop. White's set-up with g3 and Nf3 suggests they want to fianchetto and maintain a solid centre, but your early ...a6 disrupts their ability to simply develop without worries. If White allows you to play ...b5 unchallenged, you can follow up with ...Bb7, ...c5, and sometimes ...d5 — building a flexible and active pawn chain. The engine's best continuation (Bg2 b5 b3 Be7) shows exactly this: you play ...b5 on move 4, and White often responds with b3 to slow you down. You are fighting for space on the queenside and a chance to steer the game toward positions where your activity compensates for White's slight theoretical edge.

White's most common move here is Bg2, played in 728 of 821 games. Opponents will fianchetto almost automatically, so you need to know how to follow up. The engine's best line after Bg2 is ...b5 b3 Be7. Notice the pattern: you immediately play ...b5 to claim space, White plays b3 to control the c4-square and prepare Ba3 or Bb2, and you calmly develop your bishop to e7. This keeps your king flexible — you haven't committed to castling yet, and you can later decide between ...0-0, ...d6, or even ...c5 depending on how White continues. The statistics show White scores 56.2% after Bg2, which is a bit higher than the overall 55.3% — so this is the main test. Don't be discouraged: a 56% score for White over 728 games still means Black wins over 40% of the time, and the engine's line keeps the game complex.

. Your opponent won't always play Bg2. Here are the alternatives and what they mean for you: Nc3 (33 games, White scores 51.5%) — This is actually fairly neutral for Black. White develops the knight before committing the bishop, and you can continue with ...b5 or ...Bb7. The 51.5% White score is close to a statistical draw rate. d4 (25 games, White scores 44.0%) — This is surprisingly good for you! White opens the centre early, and Black scores a healthy 56% from here. You can meet d4 with ...b5, ...d5, or even ...c5 — you have options. b3 (9 games, White scores 66.7%) — This is the most dangerous percentage-wise, though the sample is tiny. White prepares a quick Bb2, and you should respond with ...b5 to claim your space immediately. a4 (8 games, White scores 50.0%) — White tries to stop ...b5. You can develop normally with ...Be7 or ...Bb7. d3 (8 games, White scores 37.5%) — Only 8 games but White performs poorly here. You can grab space with ...b5 and enjoy comfortable development. In short: don't fear deviations — many of them give you excellent practical chances.

Over 821 games from this exact position, the results are: White wins 55.3%, draws 4.5%, Black wins 40.2%. The extremely low draw rate (4.5%) tells you something important: the Romanishin Variation produces decisive, fighting chess. Both sides have clear plans, and the games tend to be sharp rather than quiet. The 40.2% Black win rate is solid — nearly two out of every five games end in your favour. The Stockfish evaluation of +0.45 reflects White's slight edge due to the first-move advantage, but in practical play, this is a fully playable opening for Black. If you understand the queenside expansion plan and stay flexible with your development, you will outplay many opponents who are less familiar with the nuances of this line.