This is a game from the ACF Quick Chess Championship this past Saturday in Tuscaloosa.  The Reserve section had 17 players, including Haile Gill, who drew with me during the "fire alarm round" at last December's Magic City Classic.

This is my second matchup with Gill, who opened with the English 1. c4

I had been playing a lot of c4 e5 in the English, which tended toward crowded positions, so I decided to start experimenting with 1. c4 d5 in the English.  In this game against Gill, I play this opening in a rated game for the first time.

If white takes 2. cxd5, as Gill does in this game, I can play it like a sort of Alekhine by playing 2. ...Nf6 to reclaim the pawn.  I could retake immediately 2. ...Qxd5, but that loses a tempo to 3. Nc3 just like in the Scandinavian.

White could play 2. d4 and transpose to Queen's Gambit, which would leave me the usual choices in responding to QG.

DeFirmian's MCO has a big section on the English, with a fair amount of d5 for black, but never 1. ... d5.

See what you think.  Enjoy.

Download this PGN file here