Englund Gambit
1.d4 e5
The Englund Gambit is a chess opening reached after 1.d4 e5, catalogued under code A40 in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO).
The defining move e5 is chosen by Black on move 1.
8 named continuations branch from this position, including the Felbecker Gambit and the Hartlaub-Charlick Gambit.
What is the Englund Gambit?
The Englund Gambit is a chess opening that begins 1.d4 e5. Black offers the e-pawn on move one to avoid the closed positions of the Queen's Gambit and to open lines for quick development. After 2.dxe5 Black usually continues 2...Nc6 3.Nf3 Qe7, planning ...Qb4+ to regain the pawn or to set the trap that has won more online games than any other line in the opening.
Objectively the gambit is unsound: White can keep the pawn and reach a comfortable position with a few accurate moves. Practically it is a different story. Below master level the trap after 4.Bf4 Qb4+ 5.Bd2 Qxb2 6.Bc3 Bb4 catches a remarkable number of players, and even when it does not, the positions are unfamiliar and full of tricks. It is a blitz and bullet weapon, and every 1.d4 player should know how to meet it.
How to reach the Englund Gambit
After 1.d4 Black plays 1...e5. White's best is 2.dxe5, when Black chooses between 2...Nc6, the main line, heading for 3.Nf3 Qe7, and 2...d6, the Blackburne-Hartlaub Gambit, offering a second pawn for development. Within the main line 3...Nge7, the Soller Gambit, and 3...Qe7 are the branches. White can decline with 2.e4, transposing to the Center Game, or 2.d5, but both give up the free pawn and the opening's refutation.
Pros and cons of the Englund Gambit
Pros
- Immediately open, unfamiliar positions against 1.d4 players who expect a Queen's Gambit.
- The Qc1 mate trap and the ...Qb4+ ideas win outright against unprepared opponents.
- Very little theory for Black to learn; the ideas repeat.
- Guarantees a fighting game with chances, which is what a blitz player wants with Black.
Cons
- It is objectively unsound: with 4.Bf4 and 5.Bd2 White keeps the pawn and Black's queen is chased around.
- Against a prepared opponent Black is simply a pawn down with an exposed queen.
- The ...Qxb2 grab that powers the trap also loses to 6.Nc3, when the queen is nearly trapped.
- Not a serious tournament opening; it teaches tricks rather than chess.
Main variations of the Englund Gambit
Englund Gambit: main line (3...Qe7 4.Bf4 Qb4+)
1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 Qe7 4.Bf4 Qb4+ 5.Bd2 Qxb2 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Rb1 Qa3
The heart of the opening. Black's queen checks on b4 and grabs the b2-pawn; White's correct reply is 6.Nc3, and after 7.Rb1 the queen is driven to a3 with White far ahead in development. White simply plays Nb5 or Nd5 with tempo and Black's position is critical. This is why the gambit fails against preparation, and also why the refutation must be learned rather than improvised.
Englund Gambit: the Qc1 mate trap (6.Bc3?)
1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 Qe7 4.Bf4 Qb4+ 5.Bd2 Qxb2 6.Bc3 Bb4 7.Qd2 Bxc3 8.Qxc3 Qc1
The trap that made the gambit famous. The natural 6.Bc3 attacks the queen, but after 6...Bb4 White must give up the bishop or the queen: 7.Qd2 Bxc3 8.Qxc3 allows 8...Qc1, checkmate, because the king is boxed in by its own pieces. Anyone who plays 1.d4 must know that 6.Nc3 is the move, not 6.Bc3.
Englund Gambit: Soller Gambit (3...Nge7)
1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nge7 4.Bf4 Ng6 5.Bg3 Qe7 6.Nc3 Qb4
Instead of the immediate ...Qe7, Black brings the knight to g6 to attack the bishop and the e5-pawn, then follows with ...Qe7 and ...Qb4 anyway. It avoids the worst of the main-line refutation and keeps some pressure on e5, but White still keeps the pawn with accurate play, and the g6-knight is a target for h4-h5.
Englund Gambit: Blackburne-Hartlaub Gambit (2...d6)
1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 d6 3.exd6 Bxd6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 O-O
Black offers a second pawn for free, active development: after 3.exd6 Bxd6 every black piece comes out with tempo and the bishop stares at h2. It is more honest than the main line, since Black gets real development for the material, but two pawns is a lot, and White's fianchetto setup shown here neutralizes the attack.
Englund Gambit Declined (2.e4)
1.d4 e5 2.e4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qe3 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4
White declines the pawn and transposes into the Center Game, an opening in which Black equalizes comfortably by developing with tempo against the exposed queen. It is an acceptable choice for a player who does not want to memorize the refutation, but it throws away the free pawn.
Englund Gambit Declined (2.d5)
1.d4 e5 2.d5 Bc5 3.Nc3 d6 4.e4 Nf6 5.Bd3 O-O
Pushing the pawn keeps the center closed and leads to a reversed Benoni structure with an extra tempo for White. It is quiet and slightly better for White, but it is not what the Englund player fears, and 2.dxe5 is stronger.
How to play against the Englund Gambit
Take the pawn with 2.dxe5 and keep it. In the main line 2...Nc6 3.Nf3 Qe7 4.Bf4 Qb4+ 5.Bd2 Qxb2, play 6.Nc3, never 6.Bc3, and after 6...Bb4 7.Rb1 Qa3 8.Nd5 or 8.Nb5 the black queen is in serious trouble and White is winning. If Black does not grab on b2, simply develop with Nc3, e3 and Be2 and enjoy the extra pawn. Against the Soller Gambit 3...Nge7, 4.Bf4 Ng6 5.Bg3 keeps the pawn; against 2...d6, take the second pawn with 3.exd6 Bxd6 and develop calmly with Nf3, g3 and Bg2, meeting the threats against h2 with Nc3 and O-O. The gambit's only strength is surprise; a player who knows 6.Nc3 has nothing to fear.
Plans for both sides
White's plan
Keep the extra pawn, develop naturally, and use the black queen's early excursion to gain tempi: Nc3, Rb1 and Nd5 or Nb5 chase it while White's pieces come out. Castle, trade queens if offered, and convert the extra pawn in the endgame.
Black's plan
Develop with tempo against the e5-pawn and White's queenside, using ...Qe7, ...Qb4+ and ...Bb4 to create threats before White consolidates. If the trap fails, regain the pawn with ...Nxe5 or ...Qxe5 as soon as possible and accept an equal but unusual game. Against the Blackburne-Hartlaub, aim everything at h2 and the e-file.
History of the Englund Gambit
The gambit is named after the Swedish player Fritz Englund, who sponsored a thematic tournament in 1932 in which every game began 1.d4 e5, though the 2...d6 line had been played by Blackburne in the 1890s and analyzed by Hartlaub. It was never taken seriously by masters and remains a rarity in classical chess. Its second life came with online blitz, where the Qc1 mate trap and the general unfamiliarity of the positions made it a favorite of streamers and a rite of passage for 1.d4 players who must learn to refute it.
Englund Gambit FAQ
Is the Englund Gambit a bad opening?
Objectively yes: White keeps the pawn with 4.Bf4 and 6.Nc3 and gets a clearly better position. Practically it wins many blitz games through the Qc1 trap and unfamiliar positions, which is why it stays popular online.
How do you punish the Englund Gambit?
Play 2.dxe5 and, in the main line 2...Nc6 3.Nf3 Qe7 4.Bf4 Qb4+ 5.Bd2 Qxb2, answer 6.Nc3, not 6.Bc3. After 6...Bb4 7.Rb1 Qa3 8.Nd5 White is winning. Otherwise just develop and keep the pawn.
What is the Englund Gambit trap?
After 4.Bf4 Qb4+ 5.Bd2 Qxb2, the natural 6.Bc3 loses to 6...Bb4: 7.Qd2 Bxc3 8.Qxc3 Qc1 is checkmate, and other moves drop the bishop or the queen. The trap only works if White plays 6.Bc3 instead of 6.Nc3.
Is the Englund Gambit good for beginners?
It is fun and teaches a few tactical patterns, but it is a poor long-term choice because it loses a pawn by force against correct play. Beginners are better served by a sound defense to 1.d4 such as the Queen's Gambit Declined or the King's Indian.
What is the ECO code for the Englund Gambit?
The Englund Gambit is classified under ECO A40, the code for uncommon replies to 1.d4.
Named variations
More ECO A40 openings
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