Englund Gambit Repertoire

A cheeky gambit against the queen's pawn, loaded with traps that catch unprepared opponents.

The Englund Gambit hands White an extra pawn in exchange for quick piece activity and early chances against the king. You'll meet White's main replies, from 4.♗︎f4Bf4 and 4.♘︎c3Nc3 to 4.♕︎d5Qd5, 4.♗︎g5Bg5, 4.e3, 3.♗︎f4Bf4, 2.d5 and 2.c4, each with a clear plan. Trap lines and puzzles sharpen the tactics that decide these games early, and the chapters are honest about the lines where White keeps an edge.

What you'll learn

Main Line (4.♗︎f4Bf4)

1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♘︎f3Nf3 ♕︎e7Qe7 4.♗︎f4Bf4

After 4.♗︎f4Bf4 we check with ♕︎b4Qb4+ and grab the pawn on b2 with ♕︎xb2Qxb2, hitting White's rook on a1. This is where the famous traps live: after 5.♗︎d2Bd2 ♕︎xb2Qxb2 6.♗︎c3Bc3? ♗︎b4Bb4 7.♕︎d2Qd2 ♗︎xc3Bxc3, the natural 8.♕︎xc3Qxc3?? walks into ♕︎c1Qc1# and 8.♘︎xc3Nxc3 ♕︎xa1Qxa1+ wins the rook. The chapter also covers White's other fifth moves: 5.♘︎bd2Nbd2 loses the bishop on f4 to ♕︎xf4Qxf4, 5.♕︎d2Qd2 ♕︎xb2Qxb2 6.♕︎c3Qc3 ♗︎b4Bb4 wins White's pinned queen, and against 5.♘︎c3Nc3 ♕︎xf4Qxf4 you get clear answers to both 6.e3 and 6.♘︎d5Nd5. Against White's most accurate defence, 6.♘︎c3Nc3 ♗︎b4Bb4 7.♖︎b1Rb1 ♕︎a3Qa3 8.♖︎b3Rb3, White keeps the bishop pair and a clear edge, so you learn where to aim: the isolated pawn on c2 and the doubled pawns on the e-file.

Main Line (4.♘︎c3Nc3)

1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♘︎f3Nf3 ♕︎e7Qe7 4.♘︎c3Nc3

After 4.♘︎c3Nc3 we recapture the pawn with ♘︎xe5Nxe5, and once knights trade on e5 we take back with ♕︎xe5Qxe5, equalizing material for free. White fianchettos with g3 and ♗︎g2Bg2 while we pin the knight with ♗︎b4Bb4, then castle kingside with O-O after 8...♘︎f6Nf6 and 9.O-O. Following 10.a3 ♗︎c5Bc5 11.b4 ♗︎d4Bd4, we plan ♖︎e8Re8, ♕︎f5Qf5 and d5 in an equal position.

Stockholm Variation (4.♕︎d5Qd5)

1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♘︎f3Nf3 ♕︎e7Qe7 4.♕︎d5Qd5

After 4.♕︎d5Qd5 defends the pawn on e5, we hit back with f6, and once White takes with exf6 we recapture with ♘︎xf6Nxf6. We push d5 after the queen retreats to d1, then castle queenside with O-O-O while White castles short, and follow with g5 to fight on opposite wings. We are a pawn down, but our active pieces give us the easier game, with ♘︎e5Ne5 and c5 as the next ideas.

Other 4th moves (4.♗︎g5Bg5, 4.e3)

1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♘︎f3Nf3 ♕︎e7Qe7 4.♗︎g5Bg5 / 4.e3

When 4.♗︎g5Bg5 hits our queen, we jump to b4 with check. 5.♗︎d2Bd2 brings us back to the 4.♗︎f4Bf4 position, and you also learn what to do against 5.♘︎c3Nc3 and 5.♘︎bd2Nbd2. The quiet 4.e3 does nothing for the pawn on e5, so we simply win it back with ♘︎xe5Nxe5. Whether White trades with 5.♘︎xe5Nxe5 ♕︎xe5Qxe5 and continues with 6.♘︎c3Nc3 or 6.♗︎d3Bd3, or plays 5.♗︎e2Be2 or 5.♘︎bd2Nbd2, we develop with ♘︎f6Nf6 in a level position with material restored.

Other 3rd moves (3.♗︎f4Bf4)

1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♗︎f4Bf4

After 3.♗︎f4Bf4, we strike back with d6, and once White plays 4.exd6 we hit the undefended bishop on f4 with ♕︎f6Qf6. The passive 5.♗︎c1Bc1 lets us recapture with ♗︎xd6Bxd6, and after 6.♘︎f3Nf3 ♗︎f5Bf5 7.c3 our last minor piece comes out with ♘︎ge7Nge7. The chapter also shows why the natural 7...O-O-O? fails to 8.♗︎g5Bg5.

Englund Gambit Declined (2.d5)

1.d4 e5 2.d5

White declines with 2.d5, so our bishop goes to c5 and we solidify the center with d6. After 4.♘︎c3Nc3 f5 5.e4 ♘︎f6Nf6 6.♗︎d3Bd3 O-O 7.♘︎f3Nf3 ♘︎a6Na6, we plan ♗︎b4Bb4 and ♘︎c5Nc5, meeting ♗︎g5Bg5 actively, and we are the side pressing. The 3.e4 and 4.e4 move orders are covered too, and trap lines punish White's early ♗︎g5Bg5 tries. After 4.e4 f5 you also learn to meet 5.♗︎d3Bd3, 5.f3 and 5.exf5: against 5.♗︎d3Bd3 fxe4 6.♗︎xe4Bxe4, ♕︎h4Qh4 hits the bishop on e4 and the pawn on f2 at once.

Other 2nd moves (2.c4)

1.d4 e5 2.c4

White tries 2.c4 instead, and we grab the pawn with exd4, meeting the queen recapture with the tempo-gaining ♘︎c6Nc6. After 4.♕︎d1Qd1 ♘︎f6Nf6 5.♘︎c3Nc3 ♗︎b4Bb4, we pin the knight on c3, and following 6.♗︎d2Bd2 d6 7.♘︎f3Nf3 O-O our king is safe. If the queen checks with 4.♕︎e4Qe4+ instead, we block with ♗︎e7Be7 and keep developing. From here we keep improving our pieces, with ♖︎e8Re8 and ♘︎e4Ne4 as the plan.

What's inside

• 80 lines across 7 chapters, with the trap lines featured as priority lines, so you learn the tricks that win games first.
• 8 master games in this opening.
• 26 puzzles from this opening.

Why this repertoire?

• Built for amateurs. The Englund Gambit lets you fight for the initiative right out of the opening with concrete tactics instead of long maneuvering.
• Compact to learn. White has only a handful of main tries after 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 ♘︎c6Nc6 3.♘︎f3Nf3 ♕︎e7Qe7, such as 4.♗︎f4Bf4, 4.♘︎c3Nc3, 4.♕︎d5Qd5, 4.♗︎g5Bg5 and 4.e3, each with its own clear plan.
• Recurring plans. You'll repeatedly check with ♕︎b4Qb4+ or pin White's knight on c3 with ♗︎b4Bb4, then target weaknesses like an isolated c-pawn or doubled e-pawns.
• Traps reward attention. Trap lines punish natural-looking moves that win material outright or deliver checkmate.
• Understanding over memorizing. Each chapter explains what every move does and why, so you can adapt when your opponent deviates instead of guessing.