Englund Gambit

The Englund Gambit is a rarely played chess opening that starts with the moves: 1. d4 e5?!

The gambit can be considered an inferior relative of the Budapest Gambit and Albin Counter-Gambit, as by comparison with those gambits, White has not weakened the b4-square with c2–c4 and may be able to put that tempo to better use in order to avoid giving away any key squares. Accordingly, with careful play White should be able to obtain a greater advantage against the Englund than against the Budapest and Albin, against all approaches by Black. However, since the Budapest and Albin rely upon White continuing with 2.c4 and can thus be avoided by continuations such as 2.Nf3 (when 2…e5? can be met by 3.Nxe5 in either case), it is easier for exponents of the Englund Gambit to get their opening on the board and avoid getting into a typical queen’s pawn type of game.

1.d4 e5 is also known as the Charlick gambit after Henry Charlick (1845–1916), the second Australian chess champion, who introduced the 2…d6 line in the early 1890s. The main line Englund Gambit (2…Nc6, 3…Qe7) was introduced by Kārlis Bētiņš (1867–1943), who also established the Latvian gambit. The Swedish player Fritz Carl Anton Englund (1871–1933) sponsored a thematic tournament in which all games had to begin with the position after 4.Qd5: the 1.d4 e5 gambit complex was later named after him.

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