Englund Gambit Declined | FUN 2... c3 line and game!
#englundgambit #declined
This was a super interesting and fun game I played earlier in the week that really played out in three stages!
I had the Black pieces and as usual against the Queen's Pawn Opening, I played the Englund Gambit, to which my opponent Declined (1. d4 e5 2. d5). I usually played (2... Nf6) in this position, but I don't especially like those lines. The position is often a bit closed and although White's pawn on d5 is over extended, it is often quite irritating as there isn't an easy way to get rid of it quickly.
In this game, I decided to try the (2... c6) line! It's only slightly less optimal according to Stockfish, but it immediately asks White the question of what the pawn is doing there! And it worked! One of the tactical themes in the Englund Gambit (e.g., the trap line) is that Black can place overwhelming pressure on White's queenside. And this worked out well in the opening! Firstly, I damaged White's queenside pawn structure by trading my dark square bishop for their knight, and then with the c-pawn moved, my queen now flies to the a-file (7... Qa5), again pressuring the weak dark square diagonal to the king!
On move 15, I had a strong sense I had a good position, but I couldn't see the continuation. Eventually, I decided to "cash out" by trading queens. White has lost their right to castle, a smashed queenside, and down a pawn. I thought that that was adequate compensation moving to the next stage of the game. Interestingly, Stockfish called it [0.00]!
The next stage involved some middlegame positional play. White had the bishop pair but couldn’t utilise them to their advantage. I managed to trap White's dark square bishop in their attempt to defend their advanced d-pawn. Eventually, we traded further pieces and entered a rook and pawn endgame where I held a two-pawn advantage, and even better, I had connected passed pawns.
The final stage was a demonstration of how to pawns, king, and rook walk hand in hand down the board. White played very accurately here, but a single rook and king cannot stop the advance. Nonetheless, White played on valiantly, only resigning on move 62. My pieces had reached the second rank and all hope was lost. GG!
The big takeaway from this game is to potentially try the 2... c6 line if your opponent declines your Englund Gambit! Focus on attacking on the queenside - it's a fun line to play!
Game on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/game/live/88238381413
