Englund Gambit

ECO code: A40

1. d4 e5

Englund Gambit

Moves: 1. d4 e5

The Englund Gambit is an unusual and aggressive response to 1.d4 where Black immediately challenges White's central pawn with 1...e5. The characteristic of this move lies in Black's willingness to sacrifice a pawn early to gain quick development and open lines for counterplay.

From Black's perspective, the Englund Gambit is an attacking opening, aiming to unbalance the position and put pressure on White right from the start. For White, it is generally a defensive challenge, requiring careful handling to maintain the extra pawn and exploit Black's risky approach.

This gambit directly contests the center by attacking White's d4 pawn on the very first move, making it a central attacking opening.

Opening Preview

This opening is defined by the position shown on the board below. The moves displayed are a typical sequence that leads to it, but different sequences can reach the same position and still carry the same opening name.

Related Puzzles

Practice puzzles and train your tactics with real positions from games that used the Englund Gambit, and sharpen your opening mastery.

Puzzle 1 of 501 - Move #2 white