- ECO code
- A10
- Moves
- 1.c4 g6
- Family
- English Opening
- To move
- White
- Master games
- 777
- Average game length
- 43 moves
- Years covered
- 1954–2026
English Opening: Great Snake Variation is the opening filed under ECO code A10, reached after 1.c4 g6. It belongs to the English Opening family and is known as the Great Snake Variation; in the resulting position it is White to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 777 games on this line — the 137th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1954 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 245 games. An average game here lasts 43 moves.
White wins 34% of those games, 37% end in a draw, and Black wins 29%. That is close to the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%).
From this position the most popular move is 2.Nc3, played in 276 games, followed by 2.d4 (174) and 2.g3 (159). After 2.Nc3 White scores 33% and Black 34%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Larsen, Bent (41 games); on the Black side, Grischuk,A (43).
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Results in master games
- White 34% (267)
- Draws 37% (281)
- Black 29% (229)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.Nc3 | 276 | 33/33/34 | — |
| 2.d4 | 174 | 41/37/22 | — |
| 2.g3 | 159 | 31/36/33 | — |
| 2.e4 | 115 | 36/45/19 | — |
| 2.Nf3 | 51 | 27/33/40 | — |
| 2.h4 | 2 | 0/0/100 | — |
How the position is reached
- English Opening · 1.c4 · 10,834 games
Played most often by
As White
- Larsen, Bent 41
- Smyslov, Vassily 38
- Petrosian, Tigran V 36
As Black
- Grischuk,A 43
- Nakamura,Hi 37
- Petrosian, Tigran V 33
Games per decade
- 1950s 26
- 1960s 86
- 1970s 121
- 1980s 33
- 1990s 56
- 2000s 35
- 2010s 175
- 2020s 245
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rakhmanov,Ale | Nakamura,Hi | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 3rd Mar 2026 |
| Lazavik,Denis | Carlsen,M | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | SpeedChess Final 2025 |
| Xu,Xiangyu | Carlsen,M | 1-0 | 2026 | FIDE World Bl Team Pool A |
| Martinez Alcantara,Jose Eduardo | Grischuk,A | 1-0 | 2026 | 2nd 3-0 Thu 2nd Apr 2026 |
| Artemiev,V | Grischuk,A | 1/2-1/2 | 2026 | Titled Tue 24th Feb 2026 |
| Nakamura,Hi | Indjic,A | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 17th Mar 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the English Opening: Great Snake Variation?
It is the opening with ECO code A10, reached after 1.c4 g6. It belongs to the English Opening family.
Is the English Opening: Great Snake Variation good for White or for Black?
In 777 master games on this line White wins 34%, 37% are drawn and Black wins 29%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is a slightly better bargain for Black than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the English Opening: Great Snake Variation?
2.Nc3 — played in 276 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the English Opening: Great Snake Variation?
On the White side Larsen, Bent (41), Smyslov, Vassily (38), Petrosian, Tigran V (36); on the Black side Grischuk,A (43), Nakamura,Hi (37), Petrosian, Tigran V (33).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
Try this line on the board
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