Englund Gambit - Other 4th moves after 2.dxe5 2...Nc6 3.Nf3 3...Qe7 (4.Bg5)
White meets your queen on e7 with 4.Bg5, so you check with 4...Qb4+. Most often White blocks with 5.Bd2, leaving its e-pawns doubled. If White tries 5.Nbd2 instead, trade bishops with ...Be7 and Bxe7, then play Ngxe5 and d5 to win back the pawn and grab central space. Aim for a lasting structural edge over White's weak pawns.
Let's learn the rarer 4th moves! Here, White's bishop jumps to g5, attacking our queen. We answer with a check, and White blocks it rather than offering a queen trade. Let's begin with 1.d4.
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Scroll the moves: the board follows.
Key lines
The free lines of this chapter, each one trainable move by move.
- Main Line
… 2... Nc6 3. Nf3 Qe7 4. Bg5 Qb4+ 5. Bd2
- 5. Nc3
… 4... Qb4+ 5. Nc3 Qxb2 6. Bd2
- 5. Nbd2
… 4... Qb4+ 5. Nbd2 Be7 6. Bxe7 Ngxe7 7. b3 Ng6
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1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Nc6 3. Nf3 Qe7 4. Bf4 Qb4+ 5. Bd2 Qxb2 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Rb1 Qa3 8. Rb3 Qa5 9. a3 Bxc3 10. Bxc3 Qc5 11. e3 Nh6 12. Bd3 Qe7
4.Bf4 Lines (after 2.dxe5 2...Nc6 3.Nf3 3...Qe7)
After 3...Qe7 the opponent covers e5 again with 4.Bf4, so hit it with 4...Qb4+ and grab a pawn with Qxb2. Meet 6.Nc3 Bb4 and 7.Rb1 Qa3 to keep threatening Bxc3, reaching 9...Bxc3 10.Bxc3. Watch for 6.Bc3? and 8.Nb5?, both losing material. You aim for a queenside majority against White's bishop pair and doubled e-pawns.
18 lines1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Nc6 3. Nf3 Qe7 4. Nc3 Nxe5 5. Nxe5 Qxe5 6. g3 Bb4 7. Bd2 d6 8. Bg2 Nf6 9. O-O O-O 10. a3 Bc5 11. b4 Bd4
4.Nc3 Lines (after 2.dxe5 2...Nc6 3.Nf3 3...Qe7)
White develops with 4.Nc3, eyeing d5. Recapture with Nxe5 and Qxe5, pin with Bb4, then follow up with d6, Nf6, and O-O. Avoid 7...Bxc3, since 8.Bxc3 wins for White. After 10.a3 Bc5 11.b4 Bd4, aim for Re8, Qf5, and d5, or grab c3 and follow with c6.
9 lines1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Nc6 3. Nf3 Qe7 4. Qd5 f6 5. exf6 Nxf6 6. Qd1 d5 7. e3 Bd7 8. Be2 O-O-O 9. O-O g5
Stockholm Variation (4.Qd5, after 2.dxe5 2...Nc6 3.Nf3 3...Qe7)
White guards the e5 pawn with 4.Qd5, defining the Stockholm Variation. Meet it with 4...f6, 5...Nxf6, 6...d5 and 7...Bd7, then castle with 8...O-O-O. Plan to centralize with Ne5 and push c5 afterward. You reach a fight of opposite-side castling where White holds a kingside pawn majority.
5 lines1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Nc6 3. Bf4 d6 4. exd6 Qf6 5. Bc1 Bxd6 6. Nf3 Bf5 7. c3 Nge7
3.Bf4 Lines (after 2.dxe5 2...Nc6)
After 3.Bf4 d6 4.exd6, hit the bishop with 4...Qf6, then meet 5.Bc1 with 5...Bxd6. Develop with Bf5 and Nge7, planning a6, h6, then castle. Avoid 7...O-O-O, since 8.Bg5 wins a rook for a bishop. Aim for a safe, comfortable position with easy development.
7 lines1. d4 e5 2. d5 Bc5 3. c4 d6 4. Nc3 f5 5. e4 Nf6 6. Bd3 O-O 7. Nf3 Na6
Englund Gambit Declined (2.d5)
White declines the gambit with 2.d5, steering the game into quieter waters. Build with ...d6, ...f5, ...Nf6, ...O-O, and ...Na6, aiming for ...Bb4 and ...Nc5. Aim for active pieces with White's king exposed in the center.
9 lines1. d4 e5 2. c4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qd1 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bd2 d6 7. Nf3 O-O
2.c4 Lines
After 1.d4 e5 2.c4 exd4, White grabs the gambit pawn with 3.Qxd4 and the queen gets kicked by 3...Nc6. Keep improving your pieces from a solid, comfortable setup.
7 lines
Learn Other 4th moves after 2.dxe5 2...Nc6 3.Nf3 3...Qe7 (4.Bg5) on the board
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