as an 1800 as White, I faced an 800 rated kid as Black in this opening. I casually made my first few moves, and then realized that my planned continuation did not work. At that point, my heart sank as I realized I was losing a full rook (not an exchange but a full rook). I actually played several good moves in a row, ones that gave me some practical chances against my significantly lower rated opponent. i eventually won some material back and wound up in a drawing rook ending, which I was able to win. it was not my proudest moment, falling into a known trap in the opening
I absolutely love content like this. As much as I love watching Ben act goofy and kick butt, I also love learning about the game through these types of lectures. That especially applies when the lecture is being given by my favorite teacher. Please continue to post things like this. I love it. Okay - bring on the trolls. Yes I’m obsequious, but I’m also a consumer. Frankly, terrible.
I'm missing 1 move for white here, doesn't get played super often, but kinda tricky. After Qb4+ white can play Nc3 then Qxf4 Nd5 forking the queen and c7. You then have to play Qe4 and allow Nxc7+ Kd8 Nxa8. Engine gives white a very slight advantage, but in lichess database black scores a bit better. Gotta play Qe4 though, all other moves white scores better (and usually by quite a bit), and it's not immediately obvious to me why.
After 5.Nc3, Black can also just play 5...Qxb2 anyway (instead of taking the bishop), when White's best is simply 6.Bd2 and we have a transposition to the main line.
In the 5...Qxb2 6.Nc3 line, White's best after 6...Bb4 7.Rb1 Qa3 is 8.Nd5! rather than 8.Rb3 as Ben discusses. This is often given in books (e.g. Avrukh) and videos (such as the Chessable course "Ending the Englund Gambit") as White's best way of refuting the gambit. After 8...Bxd2+ 9.Qxd2 Black either has to play 9...Kd8 or 9...Qxa2 10.Rd1 Kd8. Black can also try 8...Ba5, when 9.Rb5! is strong.
I like the Englund. But only because i face It as White. If you know It the main line leads to a -2 for black since move 8-9. And still this Is the best Englund Gambit lecture i ever seen. Props to G.M Finegold. You're the Best
After 6.Nc3, another try for Black is 6...Nb4 instead of 6...Bb4. White must respond to 6...Nb4 with 7.Nd4! with a big advantage. A move like 7...Bc5 or 7...c5 is then met by 8.Rb1 Qa3 9.Ndb5 and Black is in big trouble.
Ben doesn't cover the main variation in the 4.Bf4 lines - 4...Qb4+ 5.Bd2, Qxb2 6.Nc3, Nb4?! hitting c2 threatening to win Queen for Knight and then take the Rook on a1 - I think you are far more likely to come across this in online Blitz as it is the main trap if white doesn't fall for any of the 6.Bc3 stuff - but simply 7.Nd4! and black is close to lost already - 7...c5 8.Rb1 Qa3 9.Ndb5 Qa5 10.e4 etc - basically a 1 trap opening and if white knows the lines it'll be black who looses quickly and not the other way round. I think the only way it is playable is if black tries some 3...d6 or 3...f6 making a permanent gambit of the pawn and trying to get a sort of reverse Blackmar-Diemar / Smith-Morra gambit - this is what Bloodgood recommended in his book "Chess openings for hustlers" which is the only published text I can remember seeing on the Englund; it still doesn't look great though.
@@rodneyfungus8249 Depends on white’s strength - it’s a fish opening played by fish, usually against fish. Obviously no strong player will fall for it. My point was Ben totally skipped over mentioning it.
7:03 Instead of 8.Rb3, I (and Stockfish) definitively recommend 8.Nd5! threatening 9.Nxc7+ or winning the b4 bishop. Now instead of getting a free piece, Black has to actually think to not lose one of his pieces, The reason I know it is that I fell into this trap twice even though I was sure the Englund Gambit was dubious, and then spent a an hour or so going through the variations and realized 8.Nd5 was the one move that I had missed. The very next day, I was in a blitz game and someone played this against me and when I played 8.Nd5, he resigned after two more inaccurate moves when he realized that his little trap blew into his face. This actually was one of my most satisfying chess moments, and since then I take opening theory much more seriously :)
I've come against this opening as white and defeated black a couple times but more often I got beat. Watched this video and guess what? Same night someone tried it against me and I followed Ben's advice and demolished my opponent. Thank you Ben!
last time i checked with lichess engine, that line Nc3 Qxf4 Ne5... is equal-ish and loses white's advantage compared to simply Bd2, which is +2 something. im guessing, and its a wild one, its because white lost its active bishop and knight (practically) for a currently useless rook in the corner, but im not really sure 🤣
as an 1800 as White, I faced an 800 rated kid as Black in this opening. I casually made my first few moves, and then realized that my planned continuation did not work. At that point, my heart sank as I realized I was losing a full rook (not an exchange but a full rook). I actually played several good moves in a row, ones that gave me some practical chances against my significantly lower rated opponent. i eventually won some material back and wound up in a drawing rook ending, which I was able to win. it was not my proudest moment, falling into a known trap in the opening
Like this series very much, simply good chess teaching. Ben nails it when he wants to just be instructive
Another great move from mr. Gambit
I absolutely love content like this. As much as I love watching Ben act goofy and kick butt, I also love learning about the game through these types of lectures. That especially applies when the lecture is being given by my favorite teacher.
Please continue to post things like this. I love it.
Okay - bring on the trolls. Yes I’m obsequious, but I’m also a consumer. Frankly, terrible.
I'm missing 1 move for white here, doesn't get played super often, but kinda tricky. After Qb4+ white can play Nc3 then Qxf4 Nd5 forking the queen and c7. You then have to play Qe4 and allow Nxc7+ Kd8 Nxa8. Engine gives white a very slight advantage, but in lichess database black scores a bit better. Gotta play Qe4 though, all other moves white scores better (and usually by quite a bit), and it's not immediately obvious to me why.
After 5.Nc3, Black can also just play 5...Qxb2 anyway (instead of taking the bishop), when White's best is simply 6.Bd2 and we have a transposition to the main line.
In the 5...Qxb2 6.Nc3 line, White's best after 6...Bb4 7.Rb1 Qa3 is 8.Nd5! rather than 8.Rb3 as Ben discusses. This is often given in books (e.g. Avrukh) and videos (such as the Chessable course "Ending the Englund Gambit") as White's best way of refuting the gambit. After 8...Bxd2+ 9.Qxd2 Black either has to play 9...Kd8 or 9...Qxa2 10.Rd1 Kd8. Black can also try 8...Ba5, when 9.Rb5! is strong.
Great video! Please do one on the Evans Gambit!
I like the Englund. But only because i face It as White. If you know It the main line leads to a -2 for black since move 8-9. And still this Is the best Englund Gambit lecture i ever seen. Props to G.M Finegold. You're the Best
Thanks Ben! I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it more than you did!
Bg5 attacking the queen is an alternative to Bf4. The lines transpose with Qb4+, but in this varition Nc3 immidiately is possible.
I know this is 2 years 2 l8 but just know I watched one single half second of this, heard and saw your sigh, paused and liked. The truth hurts
Thank you sir
I'm disappointed that the Bf4 Bd2 line is actually suboptimal. I always thought that black was in terrible shape for lack of development in that line
After 6.Nc3, another try for Black is 6...Nb4 instead of 6...Bb4. White must respond to 6...Nb4 with 7.Nd4! with a big advantage. A move like 7...Bc5 or 7...c5 is then met by 8.Rb1 Qa3 9.Ndb5 and Black is in big trouble.
This is awesome content. I love it!
Ben doesn't cover the main variation in the 4.Bf4 lines - 4...Qb4+ 5.Bd2, Qxb2 6.Nc3, Nb4?! hitting c2 threatening to win Queen for Knight and then take the Rook on a1 - I think you are far more likely to come across this in online Blitz as it is the main trap if white doesn't fall for any of the 6.Bc3 stuff - but simply 7.Nd4! and black is close to lost already - 7...c5 8.Rb1 Qa3 9.Ndb5 Qa5 10.e4 etc - basically a 1 trap opening and if white knows the lines it'll be black who looses quickly and not the other way round. I think the only way it is playable is if black tries some 3...d6 or 3...f6 making a permanent gambit of the pawn and trying to get a sort of reverse Blackmar-Diemar / Smith-Morra gambit - this is what Bloodgood recommended in his book "Chess openings for hustlers" which is the only published text I can remember seeing on the Englund; it still doesn't look great though.
I rarely face 7…..Nb4. Even if you don’t know it white should be able to find Nd4 easily.
@@rodneyfungus8249 Depends on white’s strength - it’s a fish opening played by fish, usually against fish. Obviously no strong player will fall for it. My point was Ben totally skipped over mentioning it.
a lot of people have played nb4 for black against me instead of Bb4 as you suggest. I have been very grateful to them. 😅
7:03 Instead of 8.Rb3, I (and Stockfish) definitively recommend 8.Nd5! threatening 9.Nxc7+ or winning the b4 bishop. Now instead of getting a free piece, Black has to actually think to not lose one of his pieces,
The reason I know it is that I fell into this trap twice even though I was sure the Englund Gambit was dubious, and then spent a an hour or so going through the variations and realized 8.Nd5 was the one move that I had missed. The very next day, I was in a blitz game and someone played this against me and when I played 8.Nd5, he resigned after two more inaccurate moves when he realized that his little trap blew into his face. This actually was one of my most satisfying chess moments, and since then I take opening theory much more seriously :)
I've come against this opening as white and defeated black a couple times but more often I got beat. Watched this video and guess what? Same night someone tried it against me and I followed Ben's advice and demolished my opponent. Thank you Ben!
I wonder how many people won't get the Friday the 13th joke
What about f4 guarding the pawn on e5?
i always end up in the last position and that's where the video ended! great stuff though. i might have to try playing like a maniac
Same here
At 4:20 I think knight to C3, QxF4, KD5, QE4, knight C4 forks rook
Impressive how not a single move makes any sense
last time i checked with lichess engine, that line Nc3 Qxf4 Ne5... is equal-ish and loses white's advantage compared to simply Bd2, which is +2 something. im guessing, and its a wild one, its because white lost its active bishop and knight (practically) for a currently useless rook in the corner, but im not really sure 🤣
@Un señor muy serio I'll give you creative. I didn't know which side was doing the forking and which knight was being forked.
Do a vid on the Stafford gambit please
I think there are enough videos on RUclips about the staffor d gambit. From one person in particular...
Yay Ben I like this series! I play the England gambit!
Wow this explains alot. I don't want to play D4 now good bye collie system.
The Englund Gambit is an opening where black sacrifices a pawn so that white can get superior development.
Is this a real gambit or april fools? Well, not gonna stop me from trying it anyways. Thanks for the cool opening! I can definitely use it at my rank.
Lol I just transpose into danish gambit
😂😂😂😂
Ben finegold still has it
first also I love the gambit seris my fav