user24016: I'm looking for a simple plan to play against the English. Ideally a side line, even if it's objectively worse than main lines. I'm far from being a GM, so it won't matter a lot. I prefer that to a main line that English opening players will obviously know much better than me. Something like the Raphael variation (2.Nc3) against the Dutch. I like that kind of games, as well as Caro-Kann.

user4418: The white opening move 1. c4 looks like an invitation to play a reversed Sicilian. For fun you can take up the challenge and play a reversed Grand Prix Attack!
So you would aim for a setup with e5, Bc5, f5, Nf6, O-O, etc. It's probably a good idea to make an escape square for the bishop by also playing a6 as soon as white tries a3 looking to follow up with b4 and c5 winning your bishop. An early d6 is another way of safeguarding your c5 bishop.
If white is not careful this can turn into something close to a classical Dutch where black has achieved the thematic break e5 on move 1.
This is an offbeat line which is reasonably sound and can give you some good attacking chances against an opponent who isn't familiar with the ideas. It also gets you away from the world of often stodgy standard lines.

user31955: The suggested answer is objectively good, but leads to heavily theoretical and concrete play. I would suggest to have a look at 1... b5!? First of all, it is a sideline many English players haven't studied properly, and secondly it is full of poison, leading to Benko-like positions, as the typical follow-up is 2. cxb5 a6 3. bxa6.
[fen "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - "]
[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[EventDate ""]
[Round ""]
[Result ""]
[White "A simple example"]
[Black "-"]
[ECO "A10"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount ""]

1. c4 b5 2. cxb5 a6 3. bxa6 Bxa6 4. g3 d5 5. d4 Nf6 6. Nf3 e6 7. Bg2 c5 
8. O-O Nbd7 9. Nc3 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Qb6


24016: <p>I'm looking for a simple plan to play against the English. Ideally a side line, even if it's objectively worse than main lines. I'm far from being a GM, so it won't matter a lot. I prefer that to a main line that English opening players will obviously know much better than me. Something like the Raphael variation (2.Nc3) against the Dutch. I like that kind of games, as well as Caro-Kann.</p>
 4418: <p>The white opening move 1. c4 looks like an invitation to play a reversed Sicilian. For fun you can take up the challenge and play a reversed Grand Prix Attack!</p>
<p>So you would aim for a setup with e5, Bc5, f5, Nf6, O-O, etc. It's probably a good idea to make an escape square for the bishop by also playing a6 as soon as white tries a3 looking to follow up with b4 and c5 winning your bishop. An early d6 is another way of safeguarding your c5 bishop.</p>
<p>If white is not careful this can turn into something close to a classical Dutch where black has achieved the thematic break e5 on move 1.</p>
<p>This is an offbeat line which is reasonably sound and can give you some good attacking chances against an opponent who isn't familiar with the ideas. It also gets you away from the world of often stodgy standard lines.</p>
 31955: <p>The suggested answer is objectively good, but leads to heavily theoretical and concrete play. I would suggest to have a look at 1... b5!? First of all, it is a sideline many English players haven't studied properly, and secondly it is full of poison, leading to Benko-like positions, as the typical follow-up is 2. cxb5 a6 3. bxa6.</p>
<pre><code>[fen &quot;rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - &quot;]
[Event &quot;&quot;]
[Site &quot;&quot;]
[Date &quot;&quot;]
[EventDate &quot;&quot;]
[Round &quot;&quot;]
[Result &quot;&quot;]
[White &quot;A simple example&quot;]
[Black &quot;-&quot;]
[ECO &quot;A10&quot;]
[WhiteElo &quot;?&quot;]
[BlackElo &quot;?&quot;]
[PlyCount &quot;&quot;]

1. c4 b5 2. cxb5 a6 3. bxa6 Bxa6 4. g3 d5 5. d4 Nf6 6. Nf3 e6 7. Bg2 c5 
8. O-O Nbd7 9. Nc3 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Qb6
</code></pre>
